


Gaining Love and Losing Love

by ot7mikrokosm



Series: How I Met Your Mother [2]
Category: How I Met Your Mother, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alpha Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Alpha Kim Namjoon | RM, Alpha Min Yoongi | Suga, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - America, Architect Min Yoongi | Suga, Artist Kim Seokjin | Jin, Established Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin, Heartbreak, Inspired by How I Met Your Mother, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope is a Little Shit, Kim Namjoon | RM is a Dork, Law Student Namjoon, M/M, New York City, Omega Kim Seokjin | Jin, Omega Park Jimin (BTS), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, beomgyu and kai are Yoongi's pups in the future, reporter jimin, they are all Korean American except jimin, who knows what hoseok does
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28175601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ot7mikrokosm/pseuds/ot7mikrokosm
Summary: Yoongi and Jimin are finally together, but Namjoon is left heartbroken after Seokjin dumps him to head to San Francisco and figure himself out. Yoongi and Jimin juggle their new relationship while also helping and encouraging Namjoon as the alpha tries to find who he is without Seokjin. When Seokjin returns, Yoongi then finds it even harder to navigate trying to reconcile their friendship while struggling with his own internalized hatred for how he broke his best friend's heart.ORThe second year in Yoongi's journey to find the one.
Relationships: Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/suits, Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin, Min Yoongi | Suga/Surprise
Series: How I Met Your Mother [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566040
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. 67 Days

**Author's Note:**

> And here it is! The second installment or season of my BTS How I Met Your Mother au! Hope you enjoy! <3

**the year 2044**

**Beomgyu and Kai are still sitting on the couch in their dad's office in boredom, the younger pup nearly falling asleep as their father's long-winded story continues. "Where were we?" Yoongi asks himself before remembering. "Oh yeah, it was June of 2020 and life had just taken an unexpected turn."**

**The older pup groans. "Dad, can't you just skip to the part where you meet Mom? I feel like you've been talking for a year."**

**"Beomgyu, all this stuff I'm telling you is important." The alpha insists. "It's all part of the story."**

**Kai sighs before sitting up, shaking off his tiredness. "Can I at least go to the bathroom?"**

**"No." Kai rolls his eyes, slumping back onto the couch as Yoongi continues his tale. "The summer of 2020 was both wonderful and awful…"**

**_For me, it started out great. In fact, day one was amazing. I'd finally started dating Jimin, but while I had been off having one of the best nights of my life…Namjoon had been having one of the worst nights of his._ **

As Yoongi climbed out of the cab, his smile immediately dropped at the sight of his best friend sitting on the front steps of their building. Even though it was still raining, Yoongi could tell that the alpha had been crying as Namjoon held up a familiar diamond ring. Yoongi let out a quiet sigh as he joined his best friend on the steps, wrapping a comforting arm around him as the rain continued to fall around them.

_"So that's it?" Namjoon asked, refusing to let himself cry as he looked at Seokjin standing in front of him, a packed bag hanging over the omega's shoulder. "We're breaking up?"_

_"Namjoon, I'm so sorry." Seokjin was freer with his tears, taking a shaky breath. "I just…I just need to go to San Francisco and do this art program and figure out who I am outside of us." Namjoon bit his lip, sliding his hands into his pockets. "And the only way I can do that is if…if we don't talk for a while."_

_Namjoon clicked his tongue, his eyes burning with the tears that wanted to fall. "For a while?" He repeated, shaking his head slightly. "Try never. You walk out that door, and we are done. You're never going to hear my voice again."_

"I should call him." Namjoon said to Yoongi as they sat on the couch.

"No!" Yoongi practically dove across Namjoon to grab the alpha's cell phone before he could.

"Yoongi, it-"

"If you call him when he asked you not to, you're just going to look weak and you're going to regret it." He tossed Namjoon's phone to the side before sitting back down next to him. "Alright, whenever you feel like calling him, you come find me first." He stared his best friend directly in the eye. "And then I will punch you in the face."

Namjoon gave him a small smile. "You're a good friend, Yoongi."

There was then a knock on the door and they both turned to see Jimin stepping into the apartment. "Hey!" He greeted happily, eyes trained on Namjoon. "Did you hear the big news?"

Yoongi jumped up to intercept his boyfriend. "You mean how Seokjin and Namjoon broke up?" He gave Jimin a look that told him not to say anything to Namjoon about their own relationship as the omega's eyes widened. "And Seokjin's gone and nothing else even remotely important happened last night? Yeah, I think he knows."

"Oh my god!" Jimin exclaimed as Yoongi sat back down next to his best friend. "I'm so sorry! Wh-what happened?"

Namjoon shrugged slightly, playing with his fingers. "He left and I don't even know if he's coming back."

Hoseok then burst into the apartment. "I didn't get your message until I woke up!" He rushed to sit on the other side of Namjoon. "Bro, I am so sorry." Namjoon quietly thanked him. "I know it must be tough but are you ready to hear something that will not only make you feel better but will actively excite you?"

"Sure…" Namjoon blinked, attempting to smile at him.

'For the first time ever, the three of us are single at the same time!" Hoseok exclaimed as Yoongi shared a subtle look with Jimin. "I've dreamed about this day and it's going to be legendary!" He began to stare off into the distance. "Together we will own this city." He slowly stood up. "Anytime an omega wants to get back at their alpha, we'll be there. Anytime an omega wants to solve their father issues through promiscuity and binge drinking, we will be there. Anytime a bachelorette party drives through the city in a limo, sticking their heads out the sunroof shouting, 'What's up, New York', we will be what is up New York." Jimin bit his lip, refraining from kicking Hoseok as he was now standing directly in front of him. "Alphas, we are about to embark on…" He trailed off as if suddenly sensing something, looking between Jimin and Yoongi who were both trying to avoid eye contact. "You guys fucked, didn't you?"

**_One thing I learned that summer is that when love is beginning and love is ending, the first 30 days are remarkably similar. For one thing, you spend most of your time in bed._ **

**day 1**

Jimin giggled as he nosed along Yoongi's scent gland, the alpha holding him close as they waited for his knot to go down.

However, across the apartment, Namjoon was debating if he truly needed to pee badly enough to warrant climbing out of his blanket burrito.

**_Your friends can't stand to listen to you._ **

**day 8**

Hoseok rolled his eyes as he, once again, had to hear Yoongi and Jimin gushing over each other as they sat at their usual table, even miming shooting himself in the head. To be honest, they probably wouldn't have noticed if he had actually done it, given the way they were too wrapped up in each other.

**day 16**

Namjoon sobbed uncontrollably to Hoseok. "It was such a beautiful song! And now it's ruined!" That time, Hoseok mimed tying a noose around his neck and hanging himself.

**_And you never seem to wear pants._ **

**day 22**

Jimin exited Yoongi's bedroom in just one of the alpha's shirts, eyes widening as he spotted Namjoon actually sitting on the couch for once. He bit his lip as he carefully tugged the hem of the shirt further past his ass before running to the bathroom. Yoongi stepped out a few seconds later, stretching as he greeted his best friend. "Hey, Namjoon."

"Hey, Yoongi." Namjoon grumbled back.

"You hungry?" Yoongi asked as he padded toward the kitchen.

"What's the point?" Namjoon started to tear up again. "I could eat some food, but it's just going to leave me."

Yoongi shrugged. "At least in that scenario _you_ get to do the dumping." Namjoon shot him a look. "Come on, it's Sunday! Pancakes day!"

Namjoon began to fully cry again. "Seokjin always made the pancakes. God, I loved his pancakes. So soft…so warm…so perfectly shaped…"

The shorter alpha blinked. "Are we still talking about his pancakes?" Namjoon shot him another look. "Come on, you have to eat something. What can I get you?"

"Beer."

"Nope, you had that for dinner."

"Fine, I'll just have leftovers." Namjoon lifted the throw pillow next to him and pulled out a half empty beer bottle.

**day 31**

"So, you're telling me he stays home all the time not getting laid?" Hoseok asked in confusion. "No, that's what you do when you _have_ a fiancé." Jimin glared at him for being insensitive. "He should be down here! He's free! He got that, actually quite attractive, tumor removed!"

Yoongi clicked his tongue. "You should write and illustrate pups' books." Jimin giggled, leaning further against his boyfriend.

"You know what Namjoon needs to do?" Hoseok snapped his fingers. "He needs to stop being sad." The couple both raised an eyebrow. "When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story."

"It's only been a month." Yoongi reminded his friend. "He needs to go at his own place. Plus, Seokjin is the one that caused this whole mess."

Jimin elbowed Yoongi in the side, sitting up to look at him. "Cut him some slack. He's our friend too, and he's just trying to figure out who he is."

Yoongi blinked. "Figure out who he is? He should call me; I got a whole list. He's selfish, he's immature, he's…" He trailed off as his gaze landed on Jimin's face again.

"What?" Jimin asked in confusion.

"Your eyes are just so beautiful." Jimin immediately preened at the compliment, pulling Yoongi in for a sweet kiss that had Hoseok miming pulling out a sword and running himself through with it.

**_Yeah, it was hard to feel too bad. I was dating the omega of my dreams and things were going great…for the most part._ **

**day 33**

Jimin and Yoongi were snuggled up with a bowl of popcorn, the lights dimmed as they watched a movie when Namjoon entered the room with that same kicked puppy dog look on his face. "I found his shampoo." He held up the bottle as his lip quivered. "I guess he left it here…it smells like him." He brought the bottle up to sniff it. "Like lavender and eucalyptus and everything good in the world." Jimin gave Yoongi a concerned look as Namjoon inhaled the shampoo again. "Somehow erotic and comforting all at the same time."

Finally, the omega clicked his tongue. "That's _my_ shampoo."

"Oh…sorry…"

Jimin sighed out in relief as he pulled Yoongi onto the bed. "I thought he'd never go to sleep!"

Yoongi chuckled as he captured Jimin's lips in a kiss, climbing over the omega as Jimin spread his legs for him. The omega moaned quietly into Yoongi's mouth as the alpha grinded down against him. A floral scent started to permeate the room as Jimin began leaking slick, but before they went any further, Yoongi suddenly tensed, pulling back from Jimin. "Uh oh~"

The omega propped himself up on his elbows, looking at Yoongi in surprise. "Already?"

"What? No." Yoongi shook his head at Jimin's assumption before the feeling of dread finally made sense. "He's calling him."

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't hear any-"

"He's calling him!" He hurriedly climbed off of Jimin and rushed out of the room, finding Namjoon tapping at his phone in the middle of the living room. Without a second thought, Yoongi ran across the room and tackled his best friend to the floor.

"Okay," Namjoon nodded as both alphas groaned in pain from how they hit the hard wood floor. "You're right, I won't call him. I will not call him."

**day 34**

Namjoon burst into the steamy bathroom, slamming the door behind him. "I called him." Jimin stared wide eyed at Yoongi as they stood under the running water, biting his lip as Namjoon continued. "And apparently he's changed his number. Like I'm going to stalk him or something? Like he's so special. Like he's the only Seokjin Kim out there. Because there are four others in the San Francisco area alone and they all seem a lot better than him based on the brief conversations I had with them!"

"Does he know I'm in here?" Jimin whispered.

"Yeah, hi, Jimin." Namjoon answered for him. Yoongi's jaw clenched in frustration as his best friend continued to rant to them, intruding on their couple time.

"This has to stop!" Jimin exclaimed. "Yoongi, we _just_ started dating. We agreed we don't want to move too fast, and yet somehow, we have a pup." Hoseok chuckled at that. "He can't feed himself; he cries a lot; he keeps us up all night-"

"Have you tried breastfeeding?" Hoseok suggested, staring pointedly at Jimin's chest and earning a glare from the omega.

Yoongi sighed. "They were together for nearly 10 years. It's only been a month and a half. He just needs to go at his own pace."

Jimin blinked. "He slept on our floor last night, Yoongi."

"He watched a scary movie!" Yoongi defended his best friend.

"It is time for some tough love!" The omega insisted. "We need to get him out of that apartment. He needs fresh air, sunshine."

Hoseok hummed, leaning back in his seat. "Sunshine…"

**day 41**

"Alphas, please welcome to the stage, Sunshine!"

Namjoon sighed as the stripper took the stage. "Hoseok, I really don't think this is going to help."

Hoseok rolled his eyes. "Do you know why you're really not over Seokjin yet? It's because you can still picture him naked. You can't get over an omega until you can no longer picture their anatomy, it's a scientific fact." Namjoon couldn't even muster the strength for an eye roll. "The average alpha brain can only store a finite number of anatomy images, and your hard drive is filled to capacity with Seokjin's."

"There are a lot of them…" Namjoon agreed, a small smile managing to appear as he pictured the love of his life's body once again.

"And they won't go away until you overwrite them with images of other omegas." Hoseok insisted. "This journey may take as many as a million omegas, so we begin here tonight, my friend." Hoseok patted him on the shoulder just as Sunshine crawled across the stage towards them. "One omega at a time."

**day 44**

Yoongi clapped and cheered next to Namjoon. "Isn't this fun?" He gestured around the baseball stadium. "We're outside, it's a beautiful day, and our team is winning!"

Namjoon nodded a bit. "I gotta admit, it is nice to be outside."

"Yankee fans," the announcer's voice then rang out over the speakers, "please turn your attention to the diamond vision for a special seventh inning stretch surprise." Yoongi's eyes widened as he spotted an alpha just a few rows in front of them getting down on one knee in front of his omega, the same image being shown on the big screen. Namjoon slowly set down his beer, lip already quivering as everyone around them applauded the freshly engaged couple.

Soon enough, anger overtook the alpha as he chucked his hot dog at the couple. "It's all a lie! She's just gonna break your heart!" People booed him as security came to escort him out of the stadium. "You can drag me out of here, but she has no soul!"

**day 46**

"We've tried everything!" Yoongi exclaimed. "Baseball, strippers. And he still won't eat a damn pancake." He sighed as he picked up a fry. "I think he's beyond repair."

Jimin groaned. "And this is the problem with alphas. You don't know how to deal with heartbreak."

Hoseok snorted. "And what's your prescription, Dr. Estrogen? Eat Ben & Jerry's and watch The Notebook until your heats sync up?" Yoongi and Hoseok burst into laughter as Jimin glared at them.

Namjoon stared in fear as Jimin wielded a gun, hitting the target at the end of the shooting range every time. "How long have you been doing this?"

"My dad taught me to shoot when I was a pup." Jimin shrugged. "Whenever I feel lonely or depressed, I come here, and it reminds me that guns are fun. One of the reasons I chose to move to America, actually."

The alpha hummed as Jimin fired off a few more rounds. "You know that Yoongi is kind of against guns, right?"

Jimin nodded. "And that's why Yoongi is never going to find out about this." Namjoon's eyes widened as he backed away from the omega in fear. "Wow," Jimin laughed, "that sounded kind of scary with me holding a gun, didn't it?" He set the weapon down. "I just meant, please don’t tell Yoongi." He then gestured for Namjoon to step forward. "You wanna try?"

"Hell yeah!" Namjoon picked up the gun and pointed it at the target. "This is exactly what I needed. I felt so powerless this whole time but this…" He laughed. "This is power." He pulled the trigger, and his arm flew back from the force, causing him to hit himself in the face and knock himself over.

Jimin winced as he looked down at the alpha. "I should have mentioned the recoil."

Jimin smiled up in pride as Yoongi stood in front of him at the bar. "I gotta hand it to you, when he got him, Namjoon was smiling." Yoongi leaned closer. "Did you fuck him?" Jimin chuckled, shaking his head. "Because to be honest, I was about three days away from suggesting that."

"Sometimes, all you need is to get in touch with your omega side." Jimin said vaguely, gently running his hand down Yoongi's arm as he thought back to Namjoon's absolutely glee as he fired bullet after bullet into the target, once he had recovered from the initial recoil of course.

Yoongi smiled at him. "Congratulations, you're the first person to cheer him up all summer. You win."

Jimin clapped. "What do I win?"

"A romantic getaway trip this weekend." Jimin's eyes lit up in excitement. "My aunt and uncle have a beach house in Montauk and it's super romantic. My uncle has had at least three affairs there."

"Must be a nice house." Jimin commented. "I've seen pictures of your uncle." He then smiled, wrapping his arms around Yoongi's neck. "This is gonna be great! We'll finally get some time alone!" Yoongi hummed in agreement. "Are you sure Namjoon's going to be okay with this?"

**day 55**

"Yeah, absolutely." Namjoon assured Yoongi. "I’m doing much better now. In fact, you can take my car."

Yoongi's eyes widened. "Really?" Namjoon nodded as he began to look through the mail. "Thank you! And if you need anything, day or night, just call me-actually, please don't call me." Namjoon didn't respond, too focused on the envelope in his hand. "What is it?"

"Seokjin's credit card bill." Namjoon said quietly. "He must have forgotten to switch his address."

"So?"

The alpha shrugged. "So, I wonder what kind of charges he's making out there in San Francisco."

Yoongi immediately snatched the bill from his best friend's hand. "No. No good can come from looking at this. You've made too much progress already."

"I know, but I just…maybe the-"

"No!" Yoongi smacked Namjoon on the nose with the envelope before ripping it apart. "You're going to thank me for this." He tossed it in the trash before immediately pulling out the bag to take out to the dumpster.

Namjoon sighed. "You're a good friend, Yoongi!" He called out to him as he left the apartment.

**day 56**

Namjoon held the taped back together credit card bill as he read it off to his friends. "August 5th, one charge: tickets. To what? Shawn Mendes. August 10th, one charge: Tennis Emporium. August 18th, two charges: The French Fridge and De-Tails Animal Haven." Yoongi and Jimin shared a look. "You guys see what this means, right?" Everyone stared at him blankly.

_Seokjin smiled seductively at the alpha sitting across from him. "The French Fridge. What a perfect place to whore around."_

_Shawn Mendes chuckled, taking Seokjin's hand in his. "Only the best for my Jinnie."_

_"Oh Shawn Mendes," Seokjin sighed out, "I'm so glad you spotted me at your concert and dragged me onstage to dance with you."_

_"And I'm so glad you agreed to play tennis with me."_

_Seokjin shrugged slightly. "Namjoon tried to get me to play tennis for almost ten years but I didn't do it because I never truly loved him."_

_"I got you a gift." Shawn then announced before holding up a sugar glider._

_"Oh, my goodness!" Seokjin gushed as he took the small creature into his hands. "I'll buy it some food next door at De-Tails Animal Haven! I've always wanted one but Namjoon had this secret phobia of sugar gliders."_

_Shawn laughed. "I bet that's something he made you promise not to tell anybody."_

_"It was!" Seokjin giggled before sighing. "I love you Shawn Mendes."_

_"I love you too, Seokjin. That's right, Namjoon, he's all mine."_

Yoongi snatched the credit card bill from Namjoon. "That is the craziest thing I've ever heard."

Jimin nodded. "Why are you afraid of sugar gliders? They're adorable!"

"Because they're creepy!" Namjoon exclaimed. "They're practically rats!"

"Those charges are from a month ago." Hoseok pointed out. "For new charges, you'd have to go to his online account. You can see credit card activity from, like, two hours ago." Jimin and Yoongi glared at him. "But…don't…" He said weakly, but it was too late as Namjoon was already jumping up from the table and running out of the bar.

"Why do you even talk?" Yoongi glared at Hoseok once more before running after his best friend, Jimin and Hoseok close behind.

"It's not like he has his password!" Hoseok defended himself as the three of them burst into the apartment, finding Namjoon already staring at the account on his laptop screen. "Oh, good, he has his password."

"There's a charge from earlier today." Namjoon informed them. "the Azure Motel on 5th…" He scoffed, shaking his head. "Seokjin's back in New York." Hoseok slowly sank into the chair beside Namjoon as Jimin and Yoongi quietly went into the alpha's room to pack their bags for their weekend trip. "I can't believe he's back." Namjoon said after staring at his computer in silence for a while. "I guess I thought that when he got back, he'd call me. That's the only reason I've been able to hold it together this summer."

Jimin turned to Yoongi in concern as they set their bags next to the front door. " _This_ has been 'holding it together'?"

"You know what? I'm calling him." Namjoon moved to grab his phone, but Yoongi intercepted him. "Yoongi, give me my phone."

"No, you are not calling her." Yoongi shook his head. "This changes nothing. You," he gestured to Hoseok, "come here." He led Hoseok into the kitchen where Jimin joined them. "While we're away this weekend, can you keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't call that hotel?"

Hoseok blinked. "You want me to babysit him?" He laughed. "$25 an hour. And money for pizza."

Yoongi tilted his head. "How about you do it for free or every time we hang out, you have to watch this?" He turned to Jimin and the couple began acting overly sweet to each other until Hoseok was gagging.

"Alright, fine, just stop being a couple!"

Jimin giggled, but abruptly stopped, his eyes widening as he spotted Namjoon in the living with Yoongi's phone that the alpha had left unattended. "Namjoon!"

Yoongi then also saw him and rushed to his best friend. "Namjoon, no!"

"Yoongi, I know I shouldn't do this, but I have to!" He exclaimed as the phone rang into his ear. The two alphas continued to yell over each other until someone at the hotel picked up. "Hello, Seokjin Kim's room please." Namjoon said calmly as Yoongi stared at him. "Thank you."

"Hang up now." Yoongi said, and the two proceeded to yell over each other again as the call transferred.

"Hello?" Namjoon's eyebrows furrowed as he lowered the phone and hurriedly ended the call. "It wasn't Seokjin who answered…" Everyone stared at Namjoon in shock and sympathy. "There's someone else in his room." After a beat he decided, "I'm going down there."

Hoseok shook his head. "You can't do that."

"I have to go down there!" Namjoon insisted. "I have to tell him I love him! I have to beg him to take me back! Even if I have to get down on my knees."

"You can't do that!" Jimin exclaimed.

"And why not?!"

**_56 days. That's how long it took me to get right about here._ **

"Because you're pathetic!" Yoongi yelled, shocking everyone to silence. He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "I'm sorry, but right now, you are not Namjoon. You are the miserable, whining, shampoo sniffing ghost of Namjoon, and frankly, an alpha like you doesn't have a shot in hell with an omega like Seokjin." Namjoon's eyes burned in anger as he stared at Yoongi, but he stayed quiet. "You know who might have a shot somewhere down the line? Namjoon. The _real_ Namjoon. If you go down there right now like this, you're going to blow it for him and he's never going to forgive you." Yoongi then sighed and shrugged. "But of course, whatever I say, you're just gonna do the opposite, so have a great weekend. Good luck fucking up your life." He crossed the room and took Jimin's hand to lead him out of the apartment. Before he opened the door, he stopped, clearing his throat as he turned back to his best friend. "Is it still okay if we borrow the car?" Namjoon turned to glare at him.

"Bold." Hoseok mused, nodding as he witnessed the interaction. "Bold to go for the car."

The car was silent as Yoongi drove them toward Montauk, Jimin chewing on his bottom lip. "What?" Yoongi finally asked.

Jimin shook his head. "I didn’t say anything."

Yoongi sighed. "You think I was too hard on him."

"I didn't say anything." Jimin repeated.

"I can't believe you're accusing me of being too hard on him!" Yoongi exclaimed. " _You're_ the one who said tough love."

Jimin nodded. "Tough love. Not 'hand the guy a noose'."

"But it's okay to hand him a 9-millimeter." Jimin turned to him in surprise. "Yeah, he told me." Jimin bi this lip as he faced forward again. "So, you're a gun nut?"

The omega cleared his throat. "I am a gun enthusiast."

"Do you know how many people are killed each year-"

"Doesn't this country have that whole Second Amendment thing that protects the right to bear arms-"

"Alright!" Yoongi sighed. "I was too hard on him." He glanced over at his boyfriend who gave him a soft smile.

"A little."

Yoongi returned the smile. "I'm gonna call Hoseok and see how they're doing." He used Namjoon's car's Bluetooth function to call his friend and was immediately welcome by loud music as Hoseok answered. "Where are you guys?"

"We're at a fundraiser to help young omegas raise money for community college." Hoseok smirked as Sunshine climbed onto his lap.

"So, a strip club." Yoongi hummed. "Is Namjoon okay?"

"Yeah, he's here and he's great." Hoseok lowered his phone and turned to hand it to Namjoon. "Hey, Namjoon, tell Yoongi-" He cut himself off as he realized his friend was nowhere to be seen. "Uh oh."

"Already?" Sunshine inquired.

Yoongi's eyes widened. "Uh oh? What uh oh?"

"He's gone." Hoseok informed him.

"You lost him?" Yoongi groaned. "He's gonna go down to that hotel."

Hoseok cursed under his breath. "Alright, here's the plan. You go down to the hotel and find him, and I'll stay here and get a lap dance. On three. One, two-"

"Hoseok!" Before Yoongi could yell at him, the alpha hung up.

Jimin sighed dejectedly. "Was there a hot tub at your uncle's place?"

Yoongi nodded. "A really nice one."

"Could you tell me what room Seokjin Kim is in?" Yoongi asked the beta at the front desk, who told him to wait just a moment while he looked it up. The alpha sighed as he looked around the lobby, soon spotting Namjoon sitting at the hotel bar. "Namjoon?" His best friend greeted him as he rushed over to join him. "What happened?"

"I went up to Seokjin's floor and I had this little speech in my head…everything I've been wanting to say to him all summer about love, loyalty, respect…I knocked on the door…"

_The door opened to reveal an alpha, and Namjoon wasn't able to hold back as he threw a punch directly at his face._

Yoongi blinked. "You knocked out Seokjin's new alpha?"

"Yeah…it wasn't Seokjin's new alpha."

"Who was it?"

**_His name was Billy Mitchell, although he went by a number of aliases in his years as an identity thief. Apparently earlier in the summer…_ **

_Everyone in line behind Seokjin groaned in frustration as he dug through his bag. "This is embarrassing." The omega laughed nervously. "I could have sworn I had some change." He glanced behind him to apologize to the other people before deciding to just use his credit card. "Do you take credit cards?"_

_The barista, who happened to be Billy, nodded. "Yes, I do."_

"So…Seokjin's not back in town and he doesn't have another alpha." Yoongi summed up. "That's good news, right?"

Namjoon nodded a bit before sighing. "I don't know. Those credit card charges were the only remaining connection I had to him. I don't know where he is or what he's doing." He looked down at his drink. "He was my whole life and now he's gone."

Yoongi bit his lip before responding. "You know, my first day of college, I showed up, I was so freaked out, and I got up to my room…and there was my roommate…this freaky genius alpha who had graduated high school early lying on the bed with his feet up on the wall." Namjoon looked up at Yoongi to see a soft smile on the alpha's face. "He had headphones on and a big smile on his face like he just didn't give a shit. Happy, confident, not afraid of anything." He placed a hand on Namjoon's shoulder. "That was you. You before you met Seokjin.

"Yoongi…I was high that day." Yoongi snorted. "I was. So high I thought you were the dean."

Yoongi laughed before continuing. "What I'm saying is, there is a version of you without Seokjin and it's not…this." Namjoon gave a slight nod. "You can't let Seokjin steal your identity the way that alpha stole his."

Namjoon was quiet for a second before nodding again. "Okay. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start being okay."

Yoongi smiled at his best friend. "Sounds like a plan."

**_But he wasn't._ **

**day 57**

Namjoon sighed sadly as he lounged on the couch in his underwear, a beer in his hand.

**_Because that's not how life works. The next day he found one of Seokjin's socks or something and we were back to square one…but then one morning…_ **

**day 67**

Jimin exited Yoongi's bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks. "Yoongi," he gestured for his boyfriend to hurry out. "I think you should see this."

"What now?" Yoongi sighed but was soon just as shocked as the omega as he spotted his best friend setting the table with orange juice and pancakes. "Namjoon, what are you doing?"

"It's Sunday." Namjoon shrugged, looking up at Yoongi. "It's pancake day." Yoongi and Jimin smiled at him as they all sat around the table to enjoy their breakfast.

**_It took him 67 days and one really disgusting batch of pancakes, but Namjoon had come back from the dead. While baseball, strippers, and guns can help…the only thing that can really heal a broken heart is time._ **

A now blond Seokjin approached the door to his favorite bar but stopped short as he looked through the window and saw his friends and ex laughing together. He hesitated before deciding to just leave altogether.


	2. Seokjin's Back

**_Namjoon and Seokjin had been together for 7 wonderful years Seokjin dumped Namjoon and ran off to San Francisco. The healing process was taking a long time. Then one night, he made a giant leap forward._ **

"Alright," Jimin said as they calmed down from another round of laughter. "I'll see you guys later."

"I'll walk you out." Yoongi offered as the omega started to climb out of the booth.

Namjoon bid them goodbye, watching them leave for a second before turning back to his drink. Hoseok's eyes widened at the action, a smirk of pride appearing on his face. "You just checked out Jimin's ass."

Namjoon nearly choked on his beer. "What? No! I was-"

"Dude, that's awesome!" Hoseok praised him. "You're finally forgetting about that alpaca resembling creature."

"…Seokjin."

"Yes, that was his name, thank you." Hoseok hit himself on the head. "That was gonna drive me crazy all night." Yoongi then returned to the table after seeing his boyfriend out. "Hey, Yoongi, Namjoon just checked out your boyfriend's ass."

Yoongi turned to Namjoon with wide eyes. "I did not-"

"That's awesome!" Yoongi clapped on the shoulder. "You're finally getting better."

Hoseok sighed in content. "This is the moment I've been waiting for. Starting tonight, I am going to teach you how to live." He then turned to Yoongi. "You had your chance. You're out, Namjoon's in."

"Yes!" Yoongi cheered while Namjoon groaned.

"Namjoon, being a single alpha in New York City is like…" Hoseok blinked. "What's something everybody likes?"

"Candy?" Namjoon offered.

Hoseok snapped his fingers. "Yes, it's like being in a candy store. You just walk right in and grab yourself some Whoppers." He chuckled before furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Is Whoppers the best one?"

Yoongi shook his head. "Mounds."

"Milk Duds." Hoseok then suggested.

"Gobstoppers."

**_This went on for another hour between the two of us, so I'll just skip to the end._ **

"Dubble Bubbles!" Yoongi finally exclaimed, earning applause from Hoseok.

"Namjoon!" Hoseok turned his attention back on his newly single friend as Yoongi pulled out his phone. "We're doing this. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Namjoon groaned. "Fine."

"Hey, Jimin!" Yoongi greeted once his boyfriend answered the phone. "Namjoon checked out your ass."

"Yoongi, what is wrong with you?" Namjoon hissed, his cheeks turning red.

"He checked out my ass?" Jimin repeated as he walked down the hall to his apartment. "Aww, tell him thanks. I felt like I was having a bad ass day." Jimin then ended the call and turned the corner only to stop short at the sight of a familiar omega outside his door. "Seokjin."

Seokjin gave him a small, nervous smile. "It is a great ass."

**_None of us had seen Seokjin for three months. There were so many unanswered questions, so many things to say._ **

"Your hair is adorable!" Jimin gushed, reaching out to touch the blond locks the taller omega now sported. Seokjin laughed in relief, pulling Jimin into a hug.

**_Meanwhile, Hoseok was taking Namjoon out to meet omegas for the first time since he was 17._ **

"Hi, have you met Namjoon?" Hoseok rushed off, leaving Namjoon and the omega alone.

"Hi." Namjoon said awkwardly, shifting on his feet. "Look how sweaty my hands are." He said, holding his hands up before wiping them on his shirt. "It's weird, right? Sweat? It's basically just this smelly water that comes out of your skin." The omega's face scrunched in disgust. "It was nice meeting you." He quickly turned around and walked away, only for Hoseok to intercept.

"I hate to interrupt, but do you like magic?"

The omega raised an eyebrow. "I guess…" A flare then shot out of Hoseok's hand, the alpha 'catching' it with the other. He opened that hand to reveal "I guess…" written on his palm, successfully impressing both the omega and Namjoon. "Oh my god!" Hoseok repeated the trick, that phrase appearing on his other palm.

"Anyway, Namjoon here is awesome." Hoseok stated. "Salad in a bag? His idea."

"Dude, you were awesome last night!" Namjoon glared at Hoseok. "You were charming, you were funny, you were totally working that omega."

" _You_ went home with her!"

Hoseok smirked. "Yes, I did." Namjoon rolled his eyes, turning back to his homework. "But she did tell me that if it wasn't for me, you would have totally had a shot with her. So, in hypothetical terms, you scored last night. Hypothetical high five!" Namjoon continued to glare at him. "Alright, tonight, we're gonna go to the bar-"

"Hoseok, no." Namjoon shook his head. "I am not going out with you ever again."

"Come on!" Hoseok begged. "I'll teach you all of my strategies!" Namjoon scoffed at that. "My favorite, number seven: create a mystery about yourself. That way, they become so intrigued, they have to hang out with you all night."

Namjoon scoffed again. "Does that even really work?"

Hoseok shrugged. "Maybe it does and maybe it doesn't."

Namjoon slowly looked up before slamming his pen down on the table. "Damn it, that is intriguing." He let out a sigh. "Fine, I'm in."

Yoongi opened the door to let Jimin into the apartment. "I have something you've got to hear."

"You will not believe what just happened." Jimin gestured for Yoongi to share first. "I found a 1953 penny on the subway!" Yoongi exclaimed, digging into his pocket with the most innocent smile. "Just imagine the kind of history this little copper guy-"

"Seokjin's back."

Yoongi dropped his penny, stomping his foot. "And you let _me_ go first?!" Jimin held back an eye roll as the alpha sighed. "Have you seen him?"

"Yeah, I actually went apartment hunting with him today." Jimin explained.

"How is he doing?"

Jimin bit his lip, playing with his fingers. "You're not gonna like it…"

_"I am doing great!" Seokjin exclaimed as they looked around the open apartment. "This summer was the best thing ever! San Francisco is amazing!"_

"He's _happy_?!" Yoongi's jaw clenched. "Namjoon had the worst summer of his life, and Seokjin's _happy_?!" He slumped back on the couch. "And I suppose his art program was super fulfilling or whatever."

_"And the art program was the best thing ever!" Seokjin continued. "But the absolute best thing about San Francisco is the people! Even just riding around on the bus all summer was like a human tapestry."_

_"I'm so happy for you." Jimin said as sincerely as he could._

"Oh, he's such a…" Yoongi trailed off, grumbling under his breath as he got up to pace around. "After what he did to Namjoon, he should come back here devastated, crawling on all fours over the broken glass of his own shame and regret." He went to grab a beer, offering one to Jimin.

"You never chose sides." The omega stated flatly. "I respect that."

Yoongi was too angry to pick up on his sarcasm. "He's so unbelievable!"

"Unbelievable?" The couple turned to see Namjoon walking into the apartment. "What's unbelievable?"

Yoongi sighed. "Listen, Namjoon-"

"Yoongi found a penny on the subway!" Jimin blurted out. "It's old and that's interesting!"

The alpha stared at his boyfriend in confusion while Namjoon nodded in pride. "Way to go, buddy."

Namjoon headed to his bedroom, and once the door was closed, Yoongi whirled around to face Jimin. "Okay, first of all, my penny _is_ interesting." Jimin raised an eyebrow. "Second, we have to tell him."

"No, we don't." Jimin argued. "He's just starting to better, going out with Hoseok. How do you think he's gonna feel when he hears Seokjin's moved on?"

Yoongi blinked as they returned to the couch. "He's moved on?"

Jimin shrugged. "It happens. I've fallen out of love faster than that before. Sometimes with no warning whatsoever." Yoongi's eyes widened in worry as Jimin rambled. "One day we're in love, the next day, they're dead to me." Jimin finally noticed the way Yoongi was staring at him. "But we're great, honey!" He assured the alpha, leaning in to give him a reassuring kiss.

"Let's review Hoseok's rules for fucking without dating." The alpha stated. "Lesson two, corollary five."

"Make a beautiful omega feel self-conscious and unattractive and they'll be putty in your hands." Namjoon recited, despite the way his stomach churned at the thought of doing that.

Hoseok nodded in approval. "Have you chosen your entrée?"

Namjoon confirmed that he had. "Sweet brunette, 8:00…9:00…10:30-she's walking to the bar."

"Her?" Hoseok raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Wait, you're right. Ambition is the enemy of success. Get to it."

Namjoon stood up from the table and strutted over to the female omega. "What's up, four eyes, you got astigmatism or something?" The omega turned to him in confusion. "I'm sorry, I was trying to playfully disarm you, but I just got out of a long relationship and I have no idea what I'm doing." He kicked the chair next to him in frustration. He then sighed, holding out his hand for the omega to shake. "I'm Namjoon."

The omega giggled. "Hi, Namjoon, I'm Holly. Don't worry, I've been there." She then asked Namjoon to wait a second so she could order her drink.

Hoseok approached Namjoon as she was turned around. "Nice recovery, I think it's working."

As Holly turned back around, Namjoon decided to be polite and introduce his friend. "Holly, this is my friend, Hoseok. Hoseok, this is Holly."

"Hi, Holly…" Namjoon suddenly regretted his choice as Namjoon's flirting smirk appeared. "Do you like…magic?"

"I hate you."

"I'm sorry!" Namjoon shot Hoseok a look. "It's a sickness! _I'm_ the real victim here!"

Namjoon scoffed. "Twice! Twice in a row, you took my candy! That was _my_ candy!" He huffed, crossing his arms as he slumped back on the couch.

Hoseok sighed. "I know…but tonight-"

"Forget it!" Namjoon shook his head. "You're a jackass!"

"Alright, I'm sorry!" Hoseok exclaimed. "I will make it up to you. Tonight, we'll go to a college bar near NYU--The War Horse." Namjoon raised an eyebrow. "I figure in a younger crowd, you'll seem more mature, more worldly and, as a third-year law student, more smarter."

Namjoon bit his lip, running his hand over his face. "Alright, fine. But no magic." He turned to see that Hoseok was no longer sitting on the couch. "How did you do that?"

Hoseok peeked his head out from the bathroom. "I'm taking a leak, dumbass."

**_The next day, Jimin and I went apartment hunting with Seokjin._ **

"…but I need the freedom to really chase my passion, which was painting, but now I think it's music…or spoken word…maybe both." Seokjin sighed. "Isn't life amazing?!" He then grabbed Yoongi's face, squishing his cheeks a bit. "It is so great to see you, Yoongi." He released the alpha's face, missing his grimace as he started to walk backwards. "I'm gonna go get the key out of the lockbox."

Once Seokjin had disappeared, Yoongi turned to Jimin with a smirk. "What?"

"He's miserable." He stated. "He's realized he's made a huge mistake. He and Namjoon will be back together in a week. I love it!"

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head. "No, you just want Seokjin to be miserable. But the truth is that he's happy."

"Trust me, I've known Seokjin for eight years now." Yoongi reminded his boyfriend.

"Well, trust _me_ , I'm an omega."

"Yeah, a _Korean_ omega."

Jimin blinked. " _You're_ Korean too, dumbass."

"Yeah, but I was born in America. Different cultures." From the way Jimin narrowed his eyes, Yoongi could sense an argument coming on, so he decided to stop it before it started. "Alright, five bucks says he still wants Seokjin."

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "Fine, you're on." Yoongi smiled. "So how do we get the truth out of him?"

"Tequila." Yoongi said bluntly. "It's his weakness. Three shots, he'll tell you the truth about anything."

Seokjin reappeared, squealing as he waved the key around. "I hope this is my new home!" He opened the door to reveal one of the tiniest, dirties apartments he had ever seen. "Yeah, I'm gonna take that first apartment."

Namjoon opened the door to reveal Hoseok. "Namjoon Kim, suit up!"

"No."

"Yeah, you're good in that." Hoseok agreed. "Let's go."

Namjoon stopped him. "Empty your pockets." They spent the next ten minutes removing every magic prop from Hoseok's suit before finally heading out to the bar.

"I'm in prelaw." Reed, the omega Namjoon was chatting up, informed him. "But the workload is killing me."

"Tell me about it." Namjoon agreed. "I'm a third year at Columbia Law, so if the workload does kill you, I can probably get a conviction." Reed laughed at his joke, moving closer to Namjoon.

Across the bar, Hoseok leaned over a booth to speak to a female omega. "You must be majoring in chemistry, because what I'm picking up between us is…" He trailed off as the omega stood up and walked away. He turned to the omega's companion and scoffed. "College lesbian phase." The friend rolled her eyes and followed after the first omega.

Reed saw his friends waving for him to come on, so he excused himself from Namjoon. "I gotta go, but it would be great to see you again some time."

Namjoon nodded in agreement. "Yes, it would. It really would."

After a pause, Reed spoke again. "Maybe I'll see you here sometime."

"Probably not." Namjoon shrugged. "I'm never here so…"

"You know I do have a phone number…"

"Great." Namjoon nodded. "Nice."

Hoseok was tired of seeing that train wreck and approached them. "Hi, I'm Hoseok."

"Oh god."

"Do you…" He reached into his pocket and Namjoon just knew that it was the end. "…mind giving my friend your phone number?" Hoseok handed Reed a pen and card to write on.

"Sure!"

Namjoon cheered in the back of the taxi as he stared at Reed's phone number. "I did it! I got an omega's phone number! And his handwriting is so cute!" He showed Hoseok the number. "I'm gonna take him out for Korean food and then maybe we'll walk through the park. It'll be so…" He trailed off as he noticed a strange expression on Hoseok's face. "What?"

"Sorry, buddy, I'm taking this one too."

Namjoon stared at Hoseok in disbelief for a few seconds before lunging at him. "I'll kill you!"

"And then I discovered this area, North Beach." Seokjin informed Yoongi and Jimin as they sat in Jimin's living room with a bottle of tequila and a few shot glasses. "Best beach ever!" Yoongi and Jimin shared a look. "Oh, I have been blabbering on about my summer. How are you guys doing?" He then turned to Yoongi. "How's Namjoon?"

"GIVE ME THE CARD!"

"I'M NOT GIVING YOU THE CARD!"

"Terrific."

Seokjin smiled. "That is so good to you." Seokjin's phone started ringing. "One second, this could be about the apartment."

As he left the room, Yoongi scooted closer to Jimin. "Okay, we are way past truth telling Seokjin and about to hit Cinco de Mayo 2014 Seokjin, and I'm not cleaning that up again." Jimin giggled. "So, congratulations, you win." He pulled out his wallet to give Jimin his money as Seokjin returned.

"I didn't get it." He announced. "That first apartment, I waited too long and…somebody else got it." He collapsed onto Jimin's couch in tears.

Yoongi turned back to Jimin and clicked his tongue. "Interesting…" Jimin narrowed his eyes as Yoongi lunged onto the couch next to Seokjin. "Wow, Seokjin, you seem to be having a pretty strong reaction to losing an apartment. I wonder if it's because it reminds you of something else you lost because you couldn't commit."

Seokjin started sobbing harder as Jimin climbed up next to his other side. "No, Seokjin, you're crying over the crown molding and the real hardwood floors. There's no deeper meaning! Right Seokjin?" He gently shook his friend's shoulder. "Just quit crying and tell him."

"The apartment is a metaphor for Namjoon!" Seokjin wailed, causing Yoongi to throw his hands in the air in celebration. Jimin rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag from the floor, pulling out a five-dollar bill to give to his boyfriend.

"YOU DON'T WANNA SEE WHAT I'M LIKE WHEN I'M ANGRY!"

"Hold on!" Hoseok pushed Namjoon off of him. "If we can't settle this like proper alphas, then no one gets the number." He tossed the card out the window.

Namjoon gasped before turning to the driver. "Stop the cab!" The taxi squealed to a stop and Namjoon burst out of it, running after the omega's phone number.

"Namjoon!" As the door slammed shut, Hoseok told the driver his address, pulling the card out of his sleeve. "He does have cute handwriting."

**_The thing about a hangover is that everyone has their own special remedy._ **

"Good morning, guys." Yoongi and Seokjin both flinched at the waiter's greeting. "What can I get you?"

Seokjin shushed him, barely able to lift his head up from the table. "Bring me the dirtiest, greasiest tuna melt you got. And a milkshake?"

The waiter turned to Yoongi. "Gravy."

His order made the waiter pause. "You want that gravy on something?"

"Surprise me." Yoongi grumbled, handing his menu over to the waiter.

Jimin giggled, smiling flirtily at the waiter. "I'd take _you_ with some gravy if my boyfriend wasn't sitting right here." He laughed brightly. "Just kidding, I'm good."

Seokjin stared at his fellow omega in confusion. "What are you so chirpy about?"

"He's still drunk from last night." Yoongi explained.

"I don't think so." Jimin shook his head quickly, laughing so hard he flopped over onto Yoongi, making the alpha groan at the impact.

The alpha then sighed, turning back to Seokjin. "If you want Namjoon back so bad, why did it take you two days to even ask about him?"

"I was dying to ask!" Seokjin exclaimed. "I was just trying to play it cool. But in reality, Namjoon was the only thing on my mind. My summer was terrible, I just wanted to get back here and see him."

Yoongi furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought your summer was great."

"Not exactly…"

_"What is this?!" Seokjin's instructor exclaimed in disgust. "This is your **best** work? In all my years of teaching, I've never seen anything so needless! To call this art…" He scoffed, yanking the paintbrush from Seokjin's hand. "I can't teach you anything."_

"And what about all those interesting people on the bus?"

Seokjin smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, they were all the same guy…I think he had multiple personalities or something…" The omega sighed. "Anyway, I never got in touch because I was too embarrassed. I fucked everything up. I have no job, no place to live…" He started to tear up again. "And I lost the love of my life." He took a shaky breath before giving Yoongi a pleading look. "I know I have no right to ask this, but do you think Namjoon would take me back?"

"In a heartbeat." Yoongi nodded. "If you called him up, he'd take you back with open arms."

The omega smiled. "So maybe I should call him-"

"No!" Yoongi hit his fist on the table the immediately clutched his head in pain. "If you're gonna go back to him, I don't want to hear the word 'maybe'. Maybe cannot be in your vocabulary." He sighed. "This breakup almost killed him, and he cannot go through it again." Seokjin bit his lip. "So, unless you are absolutely certain, stay the fuck away from him."

Jimin started giggling uncontrollably, making the other two stare at him. "He likes pennies." Jimin snorted, hugging Yoongi's arm.

"Hey, Namjoon-"

"No." Namjoon glared at Hoseok as he tried to sit by him at the bar. "Go away, I do not want to talk to you."

Hoseok sighed. "I know what I did a couple nights back is in a moral gray area…but the good news is he loved you. If things had gone your way, he definitely would have had sex with you."

"There's no 'would' in sex." Namjoon retorted. The two alphas then chuckled until Namjoon remembered what was on his mind. "I'm just no good at this! I'm good at being in a couple, I'm good at being Seokjin's boyfriend…but being single, just forget it!"

"You can't give up now." Hoseok insisted. "What if I told you that you could relive that night with the exact same conversations, the exact same jokes, only this time _you_ get the omega.

Namjoon shook his head. "That's not possible."

"Oh, but it is." Hoseok assured him. "He has…an identical twin."

Namjoon blinked. "A twin isn't the same person."

Hoseok snorted. "Of course, it is. What do you think identical means? Ident-same. Ical-person. Same person." He nudged Namjoon. "We could double date."

Namjoon sighed. "Fine, but you have to promise me you're not gonna steal my new twin and leave me with your old, used up twin."

"Used up?" Hoseok clutched his chest. "They're a person, Namjoon."

**_So Namjoon and Hoseok went out on a double date with the twins._ **

"How are you doing?" Hoseok whispered to Namjoon as they were at the bar getting a drink refill.

"Great!" Namjoon smiled, bouncing with excitement. "This is so much fun! And I think me and Brett are really clicking."

"You are." Hoseok nodded. "You definitely are." His smile fell. "You're gonna have to leave now." Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows. "I just talked with the twins and I'm going home with both of them."

Namjoon took a deep breath to try to stay calm. "It is impossible that you're doing this to me again."

"But they're twins!" Hoseok exclaimed.

"You said to me that being single would be like being in a candy store!" He reminded Hoseok.

"Well, it's not." Hoseok deadpanned. "It's not like a candy store. It's a lawless, postapocalyptic wasteland. I may be your best friend-"

Namjoon cut him off. "Yoongi's my best friend."

"-but in this world, it's every alpha for himself. _That's_ what being single is. And after seven years in captivity, _that_ is the single greatest lesson I can teach you about surviving in the wild. Now if you'll excuse me…" He grabbed the drinks Namjoon had ordered for the omegas and took them back over to the table, all while Namjoon glared at him. "Bad news…" Hoseok sighed to the omegas. "Namjoon got food poisoning."

Brett immediately pouted. "No, I really liked him."

Hoseok nodded in faux sympathy. "Yeah, well, I guess we're just a threesome tonight."

Namjoon had just exited the bar and was about to turn to head into his apartment building when a familiar face shocked him to a stop. "Seokjin, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I-I was just walking by." Seokjin insisted as he walked over to his ex. "I wasn't…" He trailed off as Namjoon just stared at him. "You mean New York…my program ended. It was just great. Just lots of fun…actually it was awful. It was the worst mistake I ever made. I am so sorry, Namjoon and…" He forced a smile on his face. "Hello."

The alpha was quiet for a second before responding. "Seokjin, this was the worst summer of my life."

"I know!" Seokjin nodded. "It was the worst summer of _my_ life."

"It was the hardest thing that I've ever had to go through."

A smile slowly spread across Seokjin's face. "Can we please get back together?"

Namjoon sighed. "All that shit you said to me about how we need to figure out who we are outside of us and we need to learn to do things on our own…" Namjoon shrugged. "It broke my heart." Seokjin's smile fell, guilt filling his expression. "Three months ago, _you_ broke my heart."

Seokjin took a shaky breath, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Can we please get back together?"

The alpha slightly shook his head. "You were right. All that shit was right. So…no, we can't get back together." He blinked rapidly, also fighting back tears. "At least not right now."

"Oh…okay…" Seokjin took another shaky breath as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. "Will we still see each other?"

"Yeah, I think so." Namjoon said before changing his answer. "I don't know, this is all really new to me, I just got out of a long relationship." Seokjin managed to laugh through his tears at Namjoon's joke. "I like your hair."

"Thank you." Seokjin genuinely smiled as he subconsciously ran a hand through is blond locks. "I figured new city, new color…" They fell into a surprisingly easy conversation about San Francisco from there, eventually moving to sit on the steps in front of the apartment. "And the pizza there is the absolute worst!" Seokjin sighed. "I'm so glad to be back in New York." Namjoon nodded, and Seokjin's smile fell. "If there's anything I can do to even begin to make it up to you…"

Namjoon snorted, but then an idea hit him. "Actually, there may be something that you can do for me, but you can never ask me why."

"…so, then I was promoted to assistant menage-er--manager! Why do I keep doing that?" Hoseok feigned embarrassed laughter, but soon stopped as a familiar omega stormed into Persona. "Seokjin?"

"You gave me chlamydia, you asshole!" Seokjin picked up one of the drinks on the table and threw it in the alpha's face before storming back out.

Hoseok calmly wiped his face. "Now where was I…ah, yes, menage-er--manager! I did it again!" He started laughing, but stopped as Seokjin reentered, this time wearing a hat.

"You gave my twin brother chlamydia, you cunt!" He picked up the other drink and threw it in Hoseok's face again. As he stormed out, Reed and Brett followed him.

"Wait, I know magic!" Hoseok called after them, but it was too late. "Well played, Namjoon Kim. Well played…"


	3. Three Parts to Every Story

**_You know that picture hanging in the den of all of us smiling around a table with Grandma and Grandpa? That was taken back in 2020 when Grandma and Grandpa came to visit me, and we all went out to brunch. We all look pretty happy, right? Wrong._ **

The second the camera flashed, everyone's smile dropped. "I wish your face would melt off." Seokjin whispered to Namjoon.

"I wish your eyeballs would explode." The alpha retorted.

Seokjin narrowed his eyes. "I hate you."

"I hate you more."

Across the table, Yoongi leaned over to whisper to Hoseok while glaring at his father. "I'm going to kill him."

Hoseok shrugged slightly as he looked at his phone. "Can't say I blame you."

"No, I am seriously going to kill him."

Jimin turned to Yoongi's mother. "I don’t care how unpleasant it is, you have to talk to him."

The older omega shook her head. "Not now."

"Well, if you don't, I will."

"Jimin-" Yoongi's mother's words were cut off as she swung her arm out to stop the omega, accidentally whacking a passing waiter and causing the omega to drop the tray in her hands.

**_For any of this to make sense, you gotta understand that there are three parts to this story. Let's begin with the Namjoon and Seokjin part._ **

**the namjoon and seokjin part  
the previous day**

**_As a 30th anniversary gift, I had flown my parents to New York for the weekend._ **

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Yoongi's mother exclaimed as the three of them sat around the living room drinking coffee. "Your cousin, Yoojin, had a wonderful time at that spa she visited."

Yoongi blinked. "You mean the 'spa' the judge ordered her to go to so she could quit cocaine?"

His mother cleared her throat. "More coffee?"

**_Grandma and Grandpa didn't like to talk about things that were uncomfortable, emotional, or in any way…real._ **

Yoongi accepted the fresh refill of coffee from his mother as Seokjin exited Namjoon's room with a box of his things, the alpha following behind. "Oh, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Min." He greeted with a friendly smile. Yoongi's father immediately stood up to return the greeting. "I just came by to pick up some of my things."

"Oh, yes." The older omega gave him a look of pity. "We were sorry to hear about your…" Seokjin blinked at her as she trailed off. "Well…you know…the…that thing…"

"Seokjin calling off the ceremony and dumping me?" Namjoon offered casually.

"Me begging Namjoon to take me back and him rejecting me?" Seokjin added on.

Yoongi's mother forced a smile on her face. "I just love your hair."

**_This was only the second time Namjoon and Seokjin had seen each other since breaking up, but to their credit, it wasn't that awkward._ **

"Actually, we're cool." Namjoon informed Yoongi's parents as he moved to stand next to Seokjin. "We just divided up things we had bought together. Very civil. I'm proud of us."

Seokjin flashed the alpha a small smile as Yoongi's mother spoke again. "Great, well, all of us are going to La Volpe Vintage at 8:00. Would you like to join us, Seokjin?"

"Oh, uh…" Seokjin hesitated as he turned to look at Namjoon.

The alpha furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Seokjin smiled sheepishly as he shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't want to go if it would make you uncomfortable.

Namjoon raised an eyebrow. "Why would it?"

"Oh, uh, well…I mean, yeah. We're good but…" Seokjin bit his lip slightly before finishing his thought. "You gotta admit there's that stuff between us."

"Not for me." Namjoon insisted. "Now it's just like we're friends. Even like siblings."

"Oh no." Yoongi muttered under his breath as Seokjin's jaw dropped.

"Siblings?!" The omega exclaimed before scoffing. "Yeah, fine, I'll see you at the restaurant, 'bro'." He pushed past the alpha and stormed out of the apartment.

**_Yeah, not awkward at all._ **

"Hello, everyone." Seokjin greeted as he casually walked up to the table as if he weren't wearing an extremely revealing outfit that in the past would have had Namjoon dragging him into the bathroom.

"Seokjin, you look absolutely stunning." Yoongi's mother complimented him as he sat down in the empty seat next to his ex.

Seokjin shrugged slightly, pretending he didn't notice the way Namjoon was gawking at him. "Thank you. I admit, it's a bit provocative, but I mean, we are all family." He punched Namjoon on the shoulder like he did with his actual brother when they were younger. "Right, bro?" He hissed a bit as he got himself situated in the chair.

"You okay?" Yoongi asked.

The omega nodded. "Yeah, I just twisted my ankle a bit in yoga today. The instructor told me to just take deep breaths to get through the pain…" He mimicked some of those deep breaths as Namjoon continued to stare at him, shoving one of the rolls from the basket on the table in his mouth. "You alright, Namjoon?" Seokjin turned to him, and it was then that the alpha realized he had let out a quiet territorial growl. "You look like you're sweating."

"Nope, I’m fine." Namjoon said quickly. "This roll is just really spicy."

**the next morning**

"Seokjin is evil!" Namjoon ranted to Hoseok as he paced around the living room. "He only wore that outfit to torture me! Two can play at that game! At brunch, I'm going to torture Seokjin right back. Oh, yeah, he has weaknesses too."

"Dude, you can't whip your dick out at brunch."

Namjoon gave him a flat look. "I'm talking about my arms and chest, you dumbass."

**_So Namjoon showed up to brunch with a plan._ **

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Seokjin greeted Namjoon as he joined the group. "You looked kind of feverish last night."

"I feel great." Namjoon said as he sat down. "But it's kind of warm in here, don't you think?"

Seokjin shrugged. "I don't know. It actually kind of…" He trailed off, swallowing thickly as Namjoon pulled off the flannel shirt he was wearing, leaving just the black tank top he had been wearing underneath. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Namjoon answered innocently. "Nothing at all. I'm just making myself feel a bit more comfortable." He not so subtly flexed his biceps as he picked up the menu, making Seokjin have to bite his lip and squeeze his thighs together.

It only took a few minutes before the pair had locked themselves inside the restaurant bathroom, Seokjin pressing Namjoon against the door as he ran his hands over Namjoon's chest. "Take off your clothes." The alpha mumbled against the omega's lips.

"You take off your shirt." Seokjin demanded before jumping so that Namjoon would have to hold him up, wrapping his legs around the alpha's waist as he brought their lips back together.

As they returned to the table, Seokjin cleared his throat awkwardly. "Was not expecting that to happen."

"Me neither." Namjoon confessed. "Kind of complicates things, doesn't it?"

Seokjin scoffed quietly. "Fuck yeah, it does. Why did you have to throw your glorious arms at me?"

"Why did _you_ have to throw your…well your whole body at _me_?" Namjoon countered.

The omega narrowed his eyes at his ex as they both sat back down. "Admit it, you came here trying to seduce me."

"Seduce _you_?" Namjoon scoffed. " _You_ seduced _me_."

"You sat down next to me and gave me a strip tease!"

"You went to San Francisco for three months!"

Seokjin furrowed his eyebrows. "How is that seducing you?"

"It's not, but I'm still mad about it." Namjoon admitted.

"Alright, that's it." Seokjin glared at the alpha. "I want the blue sweatshirt."

"Too bad, I'm keeping it." Namjoon raised his eyebrow challengingly. "And you know that alpaca plushy you named RJ? Yeah, I snuck him out of the box before you left."

Seokjin gasped. "You are evil!" He hissed as one of the servers instructed them to smile for the picture they were taking.

After the picture was taken, Yoongi leaned over to whisper to Hoseok while glaring at his father. "I'm going to kill him."

Hoseok shrugged slightly as he looked at his phone. "Can't say I blame you."

"No, I am seriously going to kill him."

**_Now let's talk about the Hoseok part of the story._ **

**the hoseok part  
the previous day**

**_This was going to be Jimin's first time meeting my parents, so we were both a little nervous._ **

Jimin hurriedly fixed his hair as Yoongi went to open the door, only for both of them to groan at the person now stepping into the apartment. "Hoseok, what are you doing here?" Yoongi asked.

"Uh, I'm here to meet your parents." Hoseok said as if it were obvious. "They must be dying to meet me after all the legendary Hoseok stories you've told them.

"I haven't told them any legendary Hoseok stories." Hoseok gasped in offense. "Hoseok, here is a list of all the things I talk with my dad about: baseball."

Hoseok blinked. "But I'm your best friend."

"Actually, Namjoon's my-"

"I'm the most important person in your life!"

"Jimin's actually-"

"How could your parents not know about me? I'm delightful!"

Jimin made a small noise of disagreement. "To us, maybe, in very small, infrequent doses." Hoseok clutched his chest at that. "But come on, you're not exactly the kind of friend parents want their pup to have."

Hoseok raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He stepped closer to the omega. "Then I guess that shirt isn't the thing you're most wrong about today."

Yoongi was ready to hold Jimin back from clawing Hoseok's eyes out, but then there was another knock on the door, this time from his parents. "Hi, mom! Dad!" He quickly hugged each of them before gesturing towards his boyfriend. "I know you've been excited to meet-"

"Hoseok Jung." Jimin rolled his eyes as the alpha stepped forward, shaking Yoongi's father's hand. "It is such an honor to meet the two of you. That needlepoint 'Bless This Mess' pillow you made for Yoongi--what a stitch!"

Yoongi and Jimin shared a look as Hoseok laughed with the older couple. "Uh, Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Jimin." He finally introduced, his father being the first to step forward and shake Jimin's hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Jimin." His mother said sincerely. "You are so pretty! Isn't he pretty, Hyunjoon?"

"Definitely a looker." The alpha agreed with a chuckle.

Jimin giggled. "Funny because I didn't even _look_ in the mirror today." Yoongi's parents stared blankly at him while Hoseok shook his head in disappointment. "So, I made a reservation at Il Maiale del Sud for 8:00."

Hoseok burst out laughing, only stopping when he saw the look Jimin was giving him. "Wait, you're serious?" He winced. "No, we have to try La Volpe Vintage. The best salmon risotto I have ever had."

Yoongi and Jimin stared in disbelief as the older omega gasped. "I love salmon risotto!"

"I know." Hoseok nodded.

Jimin chuckled nervously as Yoongi gestured for his parents to sit on the couch so they could catch up. "How exactly are we supposed to get a table at La Volpe Vintage?" Jimin hissed at Hoseok. "They're booked for weeks."

Hoseok smiled innocently. "Lucky for you, I happen to know the head waitress, which is ironic because-"

"Hoseok!" Yoongi cut him off, shooting him a look.

"Ironic because we both work at a homeless shelter where I serve the food." Hoseok quickly said, smiling at Yoongi's parents before turning to Jimin. "Where do _you_ volunteer, Jimin?"

The omega shot him a small glare before excusing them from Yoongi's parents to get some coffee for everyone, dragging the alpha to the kitchen. "What is the matter with you? I'm his boyfriend, and I'm not even trying that hard!" He glared at Hoseok. "Way to wreck the curve, kiss ass."

He turned to grab some mugs as Hoseok responded. "Jimin, I am his best friend. _That's_ a commitment. Boyfriend is like a bad flu. Out of your system after a couple weeks in bed." Jimin shot him another glare as Yoongi's mother entered the kitchen, asking if she could help. "Of course, you can, Solmi!" He gestured to the pink on her sweater. "There's a story behind that brooch, and I am going to hear it!"

"Funny you should ask…"

Hoseok finished out his passionate piano piece to applause from the diners. "Brave, Hoseok!" Hyunjoon praised the younger alpha as he returned to the table.

"That is my all-time favorite sonata!" Solmi gushed. "Hoseok, you are just delightful."

"No, Solmi, _you're_ delightful." Hoseok countered. "I'm delighted."

Seokjin made a small noise. "Oh, I dropped an ice cube down my shirt." He reached beneath his collar, revealing a bit more of his chest as he let out a couple of whimpers. "It's cold."

"And I am out of here." Namjoon stood up from the table before promptly sitting back down after remembering his current problem. "In a minute."

Hoseok checked his watch. "Is anyone up for a drink at Persona?"

"I'm kind of tired." Jimin turned down the offer, Seokjin agreeing.

"And I'm sure my parents-"

Yoongi was cut off by his father. "I feel like I could knock back a few cervezas."

"I'd join you too, but I want to get up early for Mass tomorrow." Solmi said apologetically.

"St. Peter's, 8:45 am." Hoseok nodded. "My favorite service."

Yoongi raised an eyebrow. "You're able to cross the threshold of a church?"

Hoseok shot him a flat look before smiling at Solmi once more. "I'll save you a seat."

"You are so terrific!" She turned to look at Jimin. "Isn't he, Woojin?"

Jimin looked up and blinked. "Jimin…"

"Woojin, her name is Solmi." Hoseok scolded, making Jimin glare at him again as he and Yoongi's father left to head to the bar.

**the next morning**

"Dude, I am sincerely pissed at your father right now." Hoseok said as he let himself into the apartment.

"Why?"

Hoseok sighed as he turned towards Yoongi. "Last night, we go to Persona for a drink…"

_"…so Hoseok darts back into the burning house, lifts up the refrigerator I'm pinned under, and pulls me to safety." Hyunjoon finishes telling the waitress._

_She put her hand to her chest and stared at Hoseok in awe. "You're a hero."_

_Hoseok feigned humility. "I'm no hero. But you know who is a hero?" He forced out a whimper as fake tears threatened to spill over. "My Dalmatian, Smokey. He didn't make it out." A quiet sob escaped, causing him to put his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he turned away from the omega._

_"You poor, brave alpha." The waitress gushed._

_"Why don't you give him a hug?" Hyunjoon encouraged, and the omega didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Hoseok, who shot the other alpha a thumbs up behind her back._

"My dad was your wingman?" Yoongi asked in disbelief. "Wow, this is really messing with my head." His eyes widened. "Hoseok, is my dad cool?"

"Oh, I'm not done." Hoseok stated as he sat down on the couch. "So, your dad stays to finish his drink, but I take off because I have to be up early for Mass with your mom." Yoongi nodded in understanding. "Anyway, I realize that I left my phone on the bar, so I come back…"

_"There you are." Hoseok shook his head slightly as he pocketed his phone. As he looked up, he jumped back in disgust at the sight of Yoongi's father making out with the omega from before. He then made sure to snap a picture._

Hoseok offered his phone to Yoongi to share the evidence of his father's infidelity. "Oh my god, is that really…" The alpha's jaw dropped as he realized that it was, in fact, his father. "Oh my god!"

"I know! Can you believe your dad rack jacked me like that?" Hoseok shook his head in disappointment.

"My dad made out with Esme with waitress?" Yoongi asked on the verge of a mental breakdown. "He cheated on my mom? No! That's impossible!"

Hoseok scoffed. "Yoongi, it's a well-known statistic that 83% of people mated longer than six months are seeing someone on the side."

Yoongi blinked. "Did you know that whenever you make up a statistic, you always use 83%?"

"You think I'm lying?" Hoseok gasped. "Have _you_ done any surveys on the subject? Because the good people at [www.swingers.open-marriage-is-natural\legalize-polygamy.org](http://www.swingers.open-marriage-is-natural/legalize-polygamy.org) have, and they beg to differ."

"That's not a real website."

"Oh, and I suppose I didn't get a real t-shirt for running in there 10k." Hoseok rolled his eyes.

Yoongi wasn't able to give him a response as someone knocked on the door. He went over to open it, revealing his father. "Hey, Dad. Enjoying your vacation so far?" He asked stiffly as he let the older alpha into his apartment. His father nodded, making Yoongi bit his lip. "Can I talk to you outside for a second?" He led his father out into the hallway, closing the door behind them. "So, you went out with Hoseok last night?" His father nodded. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, sorry you couldn't join us."

Yoongi thought back to the picture on Hoseok's phone. "Yeah…so…"

His father tilted his head. "What?"

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

Yoongi opened his mouth to confront his father, but instead what came out was, "Did you catch last week's game?"

"I wanted to confront him, but I couldn't." Yoongi sighed to Hoseok at brunch. "I guess I got the 'let's not talk about anything uncomfortable' gene."

"You definitely didn't get your dad's 'close the deal' gene." Hoseok retorted as a waitress came up to take a picture of the group.

Once the waitress walked away, Jimin turned to Yoongi's mother. "I don’t care how unpleasant it is, you have to talk to him."

The older omega shook her head. "Not now."

"Well, if you don't, I will."

"Jimin-" Yoongi's mother's words were cut off as she swung her arm out to stop the omega, accidentally whacking a passing waiter and causing the omega to drop the tray in her hands.

**_Now I gotta go back all the way to the beginning to tell you the me and Jimin part of the story._ **

**the me and jimin part  
the previous day**

**_We were expecting my parents at any minute._ **

"One last thing about my mom…" Yoongi said as he and Jimin worked to make sure the apartment was spotless for his parents. "She grills every single omega I date about when we're gonna mate and have pups."

Jimin furrowed his eyebrows. "But this is the first time she's meeting me."

"Doesn't matter." Yoongi deadpanned. "And you'll know it's coming when she mentions my cousin Hyunseok--six pups in five years." Jimin's eyes widened in horror at the image of pushing out that many pups in such a short amount of time. "He's practically a ride at a water park."

"But I don't want to get mated and have pups." Jimin reminded his boyfriend. "What am I supposed to say?"

Yoongi blew air threw his lips before shrugging. "You're an adult with perfectly valid opinions. You shouldn't have to apologize for them."

Jimin nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna lie."

"Good choice."

Seokjin gave Namjoon an innocent smile as they ate their dinner. "Thanks again for letting me have RJ."

Namjoon shrugged a bit. "I know how much he means to you."

Across the table, Solmi nudged Yoongi. "I talked to Aunt Hyunshik the other day. Hyunseok's pregnant again."

"Good for her." Yoongi said politely as Jimin mentally prepared himself for the inevitable question.

"So," Solmi leaned over to look at Jimin. "Tell us what it's like being a journalist.

"I'm just not ready." Jimin blurted out before registering what the female omega had actually said.

Solmi blinked. "Okay, no pressure."

"Oh, n-no, I th-thought…" Jimin cleared his throat. "It's great." He pinched Yoongi's thigh under the table, the alpha biting his lip to not cry in pain.

"Good." The female omega nodded. "Focus on your job now, because your career clock is ticking. There's time for mating and pups and all that other stuff later."

Yoongi stared at his mom in confusion as Hoseok jumped up. "Ooh, a piano!"

**the next morning**

"You lucked out with my mom last night." Yoongi commented as Jimin exited the bathroom after finishing his morning routine. "What a relief."

"Oh absolutely." Jimin nodded. "What a relief it is to know I'm the one omega your mom doesn't want you to have pups with." He smiled tightly at the alpha.

Yoongi blinked. "Hooray?"

Jimin scoffed. "I mean, did she really think that your college girlfriend, Jackie, would pop out attractive pups? Because I've seen pictures, and I'm sorry but that omega had a brow ridge like a wild wolf."

"She was just frowning under direct light." Yoongi defended his ex as Jimin turned to head to the alpha's bedroom. "Besides, that's not even what I liked about her. It was…" He paused. "You know what, it's not important."

Hoseok tilted his head as he glanced at the two empty chairs next to him. "What happened to Namjoon and Seokjin?"

Yoongi shrugged as he picked up his mimosa. "They've been fighting. They're probably off fucking somewhere."

"More coffee?" The waitress asked Solmi.

"No thank you." The omega shook her head with a smile as she walked off. "Isn't she sweet?" She then asked Jimin.

The male omega clicked his tongue. "If she's so sweet, then maybe _she_ should have Yoongi's pups."

Solmi furrowed her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing." Jimin cleared his before excusing himself to the bathroom only to find the door locked. He groaned quietly and knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" Seokjin's voice rang out followed by Namjoon's.

"Maybe less!"

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, turning around to see Solmi slowly approaching him. "Did I say something to upset you?"

Jimin sighed. "Why don't you want me to have your grandpups?"

Solmi blinked. "Do you _want_ to have my grandpups?"

"No!" Jimin immediately answered before backtracking. "I don't know. I just…" He sighed again. "I want you to want me to want to have your grandpups. And you should! I'm a genetic gold mine! No family history of diabetes or heart disease, everyone has nonporous teeth and perfect eyesight, I had one schizophrenic uncle but even he had perfect vision…which was unfortunate for the people around the bell tower he was in…but still, he was a very fine alpha and-"

He was cut off by Namjoon and Seokjin coming out of the bathroom. "Sorry, we didn't know there was a line." Namjoon gave them an apologetic smile as the pair headed back to the table.

Solmi watched them leave in surprise before turning back to Jimin. "It's not that I don't want grandpups. It's just that I don't think anyone should make the mistake of getting mated too young.

Jimin furrowed his eyebrow. "Why? You got mated young, and that wasn't a mistake." Solmi bit her lip. "Was it?"

The female omega smiled. "Okay, there's something you don't know…"

The second the camera flashed, everyone's smile dropped. "I wish your face would melt off." Seokjin whispered to Namjoon.

"I wish your eyeballs would explode." The alpha retorted.

Across the table, Yoongi leaned over to whisper to Hoseok while glaring at his father. "I'm going to kill him."

Jimin turned to Yoongi's mother. "I don’t care how unpleasant it is, you have to talk to him."

The older omega shook her head. "Not now."

"Well, if you don't, I will."

"Jimin-" Yoongi's mother's words were cut off as she swung her arm out to stop the omega, accidentally whacking a passing waiter and causing the omega to drop the tray in her hands.

"Let me help you pick those up, sweetheart." Yoongi's father was quick to get out of his chair to help the omega.

"Sweetheart?!" Yoongi hit his hands against the table before jumping out of his chair. "The only sweetheart in your life should be the omega you mated 30 years ago!" His parents stared at him in surprise. "Not the waitress at the bar last night, and not this clumsy floozy!" He turned to the omega on the ground. "I'm sorry, you're not a floozy. I'm upset, I don't know what I'm saying…but stay away from my dad."

The omega rushed off in confusion as Solmi spoke up. "Yoongi, what are you talking about?"

Yoongi turned to his father with a glare. "Dad, would you like to tell Mom what happened at the bar last night?"

"Okay." Hyunjoon shrugged as he returned to his chair. "I hooked up with a waitress."

"Oh."

Yoongi blinked at his mother's nonchalant response. "Oh?"

Her eyes widened. "I mean, oh!" She attempted to sound angry, but her voice came out weak. Jimin rolled his eyes as she turned to Yoongi's father. "We're going to have a serious talk about this when we get home, Hyunjoon." She weakly slapped him on the arm.

"A serious talk?" Yoongi let out a scoff. "Mom, he was kissing another omega! Don't you care?"

Jimin gave Solmi a look and the female omega sighed. "Yoongi, we weren't quite sure how to tell you this-"

"Your mother and I are divorced." His father cut in.

Everyone's eyes widened except for Jimin's, as Solmi had informed him of that little fact over by the bathroom. "You…what do you mean you're divorced? Since when?"

"About nine months now." His mother said casually as if Yoongi's world wasn't falling to pieces in front of him.

"Closer to 10." His father corrected.

Yoongi blinked. "So, 10 months ago, you decided to up and get divorced without telling me?"

"It wasn't a snap decision." Solmi assured her son.

"We'd been separated for almost two years."

The alpha's jaw dropped. "How could you not tell me this?! And what about your mating scars?! You still have them!"

"Makeup." His mother answered simply before sighing again. "And we meant to tell you, but it just never seemed like the right time.'

"What about last Christmas?" Yoongi asked.

"We talked about telling you pups then, but it just didn't seem very Christmassy."

Yoongi glared at them. "I got you a tandem bike."

"It didn't go to waste." His father assured him. "Your mother and Jessie ride it all the time."

"Who the fuck is Jessie?"

His father. "Oh, Jessie. Great alpha there, I actually set them up. You remember Dr. Porter?"

"My orthodontist?!" Yoongi asked in horror before running his hands over his face in frustration. "My head is about to explode, and I don't want to get it all over everyone's waffles, so I am leaving." Yoongi stood up and stalked out of the restaurant, Jimin and Yoongi's parents following close behind.

Hoseok made a small noise. "You know, now that I think about it, he did mention that he was divorced last night. Completely forgot about that." He chuckled before jumping up in excitement. "No line at the omelet station!" He ran off, leaving Namjoon and Seokjin alone.

Seokjin started to dig into his waffles but stopped as Namjoon said his name. "I'm sorry that I said all those things."

The omega gave him a soft smile. "Me too."

Namjoon sighed. "I just find it to be really confusing to be around you right now."

"It's the same for me." Seokjin admitted. "I think we're both better off trying to keep some distance for a while."

"Yeah," Namjoon nodded in agreement. "I think you're right." They both turned back to their waffles, choosing to eat their breakfasts in silence.

"We're sorry we didn't say anything about the divorce." Hyunjoon said once they'd caught up to Yoongi outside.

Solmi nodded. "It was wrong to not tell you."

Yoongi apologized, only to be angered once more. "Don't tell your brother. It would upset him."

"No!" The alpha shook his head. "This is ridiculous! We have to start talking about stuff other than baseball!"

"The Indians won today in a knock off double." His father informed him.

Yoongi's eyes widened. "Against the Red Sox? That's a big win-no!" He snapped himself out of it. "No! We're not gonna blow past this!" He scoffed. "I don't even know you guys! I don't know how you met!"

Hyunjoon tilted his head. "I never told you how I met your mother?" Yoongi shook his head. "Great story. At a bar."

Yoongi and Jimin waited for him to elaborate, but he never did. "That's it?" Yoongi inquired. "That's what passes for communication in our family?" He shook his head. "When I have pups and I tell them how I met their mother, I'm gonna tell them everything. The whole damn story."

His father furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "I think it was a Korean bar." He then offered, hoping that would please his son.

"I just don't understand." Yoongi sighed. "You seemed so happy. When I was growing up, you seemed so…what happened?"

Hyunjoon shrugged. "We just realized we're very different people."

Solmi nodded in agreement. "Your father's kind of a head in the clouds romantic and I'm much more down to earth."

"So?" Yoongi let out a laugh of disbelief. "Jimin and I are like that. That doesn't mean anything.

"I wanted pups." His father stated. "And your mother…" He paused, obviously not wanting to upset his son even more. "Also wanted pups."

Yoongi shrugged. "Jimin and I have different views on families, but we're not about to break up because of it."

Solmi jumped in. "Deep down, I always knew. I never even wanted to go out with him in the first place, but he spent months badgering me until I finally gave in."

Jimin bit his lip and shared a look with Yoongi as Hyunjoon spoke again. "When you don't connect on that many fundamental levels, it's only a matter of time before you realize you're not meant to be together."

"Oh, but we love Jimin!" Solmi made sure to add on.

Hyunjoon nodded in agreement as Jimin smiled. "Meeting you was the highlight of my trip…second highlight."

Chuckling, Yoongi's parents excused themselves to head back inside the restaurant, leaving the couple alone.

"Wow." Jimin said as Yoongi turned to him.

"I know." The alpha nodded.

"They love me!" Jimin practically squealed, giggling afterwards.

"We are definitely going to try and communicate more." Solmi assured her son as their brunch came to an end.

Hyunjoon nodded in agreement. "From now on, full disclosure."

"Good." Yoongi smiled. "I think it'll be really good for the family." After a pause he said. "By the way, how's grandma? She hasn't returned my last couple of calls." From the way his parents stiffened and shared a look, Yoongi already had his answer.

"I'm gonna get some juice." His mother said, excusing herself from the table and the question.

Yoongi set his gaze on his father. "Dad?"

"You missed a great game last night."


	4. Yoongi Min, Architect

**_Pups, sometimes relationships go so smoothly for so long that you think it will be that way forever. It never is._ **

Yoongi flopped into the booth across from Namjoon and Hoseok. "We just had our first fight."

Jimin entered the nail salon Seokjin was currently getting a pedicure at. "We just had our first fight!"

Seokjin gasped, pulling his air pods out of his ears. "Oh no! What was it about?"

"Oh no, what was it about?" Hoseok asked while putting his air pods in, planning on tuning every word out.

Yoongi rolled his eyes, turning to his actual best friend. "A few months ago, my firm was approached to design this new building…"

"It's this big skyscraper in Spokane." Jimin explained. "It'd be a huge project for his firm…"

"And if we don't get it, we could go under."

"So anyway, the head architect unveils his new design to the whole company…"

_Everyone applauded while Yoongi simply stared in horror at the phallic shaped design being projected in front of them._

"No!" Namjoon and Hoseok, who had pulled out his air pods at the mention of a dick shaped building, gasped.

"Yes!" Yoongi nodded.

"I mean…" Namjoon shrugged a bit. "All skyscrapers look a little like-"

Yoongi cut him off. "Namjoon, it's a 78 story, pink marble tower with a rounded top and two spherical entryways at the front."

Namjoon nodded as if in approval. "So, it's the full package."

Hoseok laughed brightly, fist bumping Namjoon before turning to Yoongi. "Dude, you've got to get me in. And don't give me the shaft."

The two shared another fist bump as Yoongi rolled his eyes, obviously holding in his own laughter. "It's a travesty! It's gonna define the skyline of the city! If it was me, I could have designed something amazing. And instead, I'm spending 12 hours a day designing the cornices." He sighed as he picked up his drink.

Jimin was now sitting in the chair next to Seokjin, getting a pedicure of his own after one of the nail technicians talked him into one. "Obviously it ended well." Seokjin stated. "I mean, you're here talking to me calmly."

The shorter omega let out a laugh. "No, it didn't end at all. I got bummed out, so I left." He shrugged. "You know me, I don't do all the emotional stuff." Seokjin gave him a small look as he went back to the fight. "Anyway, Yoongi has been literally complaining about work nonstop for weeks, so when I came over today, I was kind of done."

_"Hey, how was your day?" Yoongi asked as he walked over to greet Jimin, giving the omega a small kiss._

_"It was good." Jimin said with a small smile before moving to put his bag and coat down._

_Yoongi clicked his tongue. "Wow, you're a great interviewer." He said flatly as the omega turned back to him. "Aren't you gonna ask how my day was?"_

_Jimin shook his head. "I already know how it was. It was awful." Yoongi blinked at him. "Wanna watch a movie tonight?"_

_"Uh…" Yoongi let out a small laugh of disbelief. "I listen to your work stories all the time."_

_"Yeah but…" Jimin took Yoongi's hand in his. "I don’t want to sound rude but…my work stories are interesting. I mean, I am a television news reporter."_

"Jimin!"

"What?" Jimin took a defensive tone. "I knew exactly what he was going to say! I was just helping him get there faster."

The older omega gave him a flat look. "You should work at a suicide hotline."

Jimin scoffed, shaking his head as he continued his story. "And then it got ugly…"

_"What I don't do is tell you the same story over and over again." Jimin said as Yoongi crossed his arms over his chest. "You wouldn't watch the same movie over and over again, would you? Maybe an amazing movie like Get Out, but something like…National Treasure? Once is more than enough."_

Namjoon and Hoseok's jaws dropped as Yoongi relayed Jimin's comment to them. "Oh yeah." He said, showing how serious he was about his boyfriend's words.

_"Wait, so that's your go to 'bad' movie?" Yoongi scoffed as Jimin furrowed his eyebrows. "The number one example on the tip of your tongue of a bad movie is National Treasure?"_

_"It's about an alpha feeling like he's entitled to something." Jimin shrugged. "We already have enough movies like that. It's just stupid."_

"Fuck him!" Namjoon exclaimed. "National Treasure is one of the best movies to come out of the early 2000s!"

"So now he's all mat at me about some stupid movie." Jimin summed up, rolling his eyes slightly.

Seokjin sighed. "No, Jimin, he is upset because you wouldn't listen to him. Not because of a movie."

"How can anyone not like National Treasure?!" Yoongi nearly yelled, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Listening is the foundation of any relationship." Seokjin reminded Jimin. "And if he's really droning on, then just do what I do: practice saying the alphabet backwards. It really comes in handy in case you get pulled over for a DUI."

Jimin tilted his head. "Yeah, I guess I don't really know how to do that."

Seokjin groaned. "Trust me, it's even hard when you're sober. But the cop just wouldn't accept that-"

"No." Jimin interrupted Seokjin before he could start ranting. "I mean that I don't know how to do this whole boyfriend thing. I've never been in a relationship this serious before." He bit his lip, staying quiet for a few seconds. "I should probably go tell him I'm sorry, shouldn't I?" He stared at Seokjin, giggling a bit as he took in his furrowed eyebrow that showed he was concentrating on something. "You're doing the alphabet thing right now."

"What the hell comes before Q?"

"And then in the end of the sequel when Mitch sacrifices himself so that the rest can survive. Even if he was the villain, it's still just so…" Yoongi trailed off, putting his fist to his mouth as he tried to hold back tears at the emotional moment.

Hoseok sniffled a bit. "Can we talk about something else?"

Namjoon shook his head to rid himself of the emotions always brought on by the classic Nicholas Cage films. "You know what, forget Jimin." He said, resting his arms on the table. "You're hanging with us tonight. I've got an awesome party lined up."

"Oh god." Hoseok groaned. "Is this gonna be another one of your weird all alpha parties?"

"That was a poker game." Namjoon reminded him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He rolled his eyes and turned back to Yoongi. "It's the first law school party of the year, and it's gonna be awesome. I haven't seen these guys since last year before Seokjin and I broke up…" He bit his lip, looking down at his drink. "And I'm gonna have to break the news to everybody…this party's gonna suck."

Hoseok clicked his tongue. "As much as I would love to join you for that one…I have tickets to Foxy Boxing."

Yoongi sighed as he reached out to get a fry from the plate in front of him. "Wish I could join you guys, but I gotta get back to my supposedly boring job."

"Your job's not boring." Namjoon assured him.

"Jimin thinks so." Yoongi mumbled.

'Dude, lots of omegas think architects are hot." Hoseok informed him. "I mean, think about it. You create something out of nothing. You're like a god, and there's nobody hotter than a god."

Yoongi hummed. "I love it when you quote scripture."

Hoseok gave him a look. "You should use the architect angle with omegas."

The shortest alpha in the group blinked. "Okay, first of all, I have a boyfriend. Second, the architect angle doesn't work on him. Third, I can't imagine that working on _anyone_."

"Well, that's because you're always like…" Hoseok lowered his voice slightly to sound like Yoongi, speaking with a monotone. "Yoongi Min, architect." He returned to his normal voice. "If it were me, I'd be like." He put on his flirting smirk and added a hint of seduction to his voice. "Yoongi Min, architect." He punctuated the introduction with a wink before turning back to Yoongi. "Anything sounds impressive when it's said with the right attitude."

Namjoon cleared his throat and took on the same tone Hoseok had used. "Namjoon Kim, recently dumped and heading to a lame party." He then stood up, pretending to fend off a group of omegas before wrapping his arm around two invisible ones. "Alright, we're heading out."

"I'll go with you guys." Hoseok said, climbing out of the booth. Before they left, he turned to Yoongi one more time. "Yoongi Min, architect." He winked and clicked his tongue. "Trust me."

Yoongi rolled his eyes and moved to leave himself…but then he found Hoseok's words annoyingly sticking to his brain. "Excuse me," He got the attention of an omega leaning against the bar. "Quick question, if an alpha were to come up to you and tell you that he was an architect, what would you think of that?"

The male omega scoffed out a laugh. "Are you kidding? Architects are hot1" The alpha's eyes widened slightly. "I mean, how do you think Mr. Brady even scored a babe like Carol?"

"Solid point." Yoongi nodded. "She did have hair of gold." The omega giggled as Yoongi leaned against the bar next to him.

Jimin and Seokjin strolled into the bar. "Hey, Adora, is Yoongi still here?"

"No." The female alpha smiled as her gaze fell on Seokjin. "Hey, Seokjin, you still single?"

"Yes." Seokjin sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You know…I've given you a lot of free drinks over the years."

Seokjin gave her a look. "Do you really want to be with an omega who would trade sex for beer?"

Adora shrugged playfully. "Only if you're into it." She slid a beer over to him. "On me."

Seokjin happily accepted the free drink as Jimin turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. "Where did Yoongi go?"

"Do you mean Yoongi Min the architect?" A random omega standing a few feet away from them asked, a sparkle of admiration in her eyes.

Jimin and Seokjin shared a look. "…yeah…"

"Oh my god, he is such a cool guy!" The omega gushed. "He was here earlier."

_Yoongi was now sitting in a booth with the male omega and one of his friends. "What made you decide you wanted to become an architect?"_

_"You know…soul of an artist, hands of a master craftsman." Yoongi shrugged. "It was inevitable."_

_The male omega smiled. "And I bet you can draw." He then gasped, lightly touching the alpha's arm. "You should draw **me**!"_

_"I mean, I could try, but you might end up looking like a mid-century tri level." Yoongi joked, making the omegas giggle. "Hey, if you want, my friend Namjoon invited me to this party we could all go to. Namjoon's great, he's just a lawyer but somebody has to push the paper around for us creative types."_

Seokjin gasped. "He asked him to a party!" He turned to Jimin and gently touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Jimin blinked. "I'm awesome! It's a win-win, Yoongi got to vent, and I don't have to hear it." Seokjin stared at him in disbelief as he shrugged. "Maybe after he's done with the talkie-talk, he'll come home, and I'll get the fun part."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Seokjin groaned. "God, I feel like I'm teaching love as a second language!"

"Third." Jimin corrected with an innocent smile.

Seokjin ignored him. "Okay, you know how when he tells you boring work stories, you're supposed to listen?" Jimin nodded. "Well, when he picks up some random omega at a bar, you're supposed to freak out."

Jimin scoffed quietly. "I'm not freaking out, because in my mind, he's fat and ugly."

The omega's friend blinked. "He's a kickboxing instructor and has been asked to model."

Jimin was quiet for a few seconds before clicking his tongue. "Let's go swing by the party."

**_The party was for some of Namjoon's classmates from Columbia Law School, who by day were some of the sharpest and most serious young legal minds of the country…by night, however…_ **

Jimin pinned himself against the door to avoid the couple that were too busy passionately making out on their way to a bedroom to bother with making sure they weren't running people over. "Damn, these are some drunk almost lawyers."

"Okay, seriously!" Their attention was drawn to a heavyset alpha in the middle of the room wearing only an adult diaper and a belt of beer bottles. "Who wants to shave my ass?!"

**_That guy went on to become a Supreme Court justice._ **

"Okay…" Seokjin shook his head to rid himself of the image and turned back to Jimin. "Where are the alphas and the prostitute?"

Before Jimin could respond, another alpha approached them with a clipboard. "Welcome to the party! Now I need you to sign this release protecting the host from any and all responsibility should you harm yourself or a third party."

"Hey, drunk legal dude." Jimin stopped the alpha before he could walk off. "Have you seen Namjoon Kim? He was with an alpha named Yoongi."

The alpha tilted his head. "You mean Yoongi Min the architect? What a visionary." Jimin furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, they were here."

_"Awards are nice, they look good on my shelf." Yoongi stated to the omega. "But none of that acclaim means anything compared to the joy of seeing the sun rise over your first building."_

_"Wow…" The omega breathed out, moving closer to the alpha. "I would love to watch the sun rise with you."_

_Yoongi nodded slightly. "I know you would…it's the job."_

_Across the room, Namjoon was lounging on a bean bag with a plastic cup in hand. "Hey, Namjoon, where's Seokjin?" One of his classmates inquired._

_The alpha sighed. "I didn't want to ruin the party for everyone this early but…" He waved for everyone around to come closer and sit down. "Seokjin called off the ceremony this summer to go to San Francisco. So…we're broken up."_

_Everyone was quiet for a second. "His name wasn't on your lease, was it?" Namjoon furrowed his eyebrows. "Because according to New York State Law, you're not required to give him half of your deposit when you move."_

_"Yeah…not really the part I was worried about…"_

_"And don't forget the precedent that any personal effects he left in your house or dwelling become yours after 30 days."_

_Namjoon stared at them in disbelief. "Guys, can we cease and desist with the lawyer speak for a minute? Love died! The love that made you all believe in love, that's dead now."_

_Silence filled the group again until, "You should sue him."_

_"On what grounds, Blair?"_

_"On the grounds of shut up." She climbed over to the back of the couch to accept a bong being offered to the group._

**_And that's our attorney general._ **

Seokjin nudged Jimin. "See?! Namjoon's still hung up on our breakup! Why? Because I listened to him!" Jimin raised an eyebrow. "It was a strong, nurturing relationship that I threw away like old gum."

Jimin shook his head slightly as he turned back to the drunk legal alpha. "Not that I'm worried or anything, but back to the sun rising over Yoongi and…what tasteful way did you use to describe him?"

"The omega with the smackable ass."

"Yes, him." Jimin nodded.

_"So, I know the bouncer at this techno club, Serenity." The omega informed Yoongi. "Do you feel like dancing?"_

Jimin snorted. "Okay, yeah, no. There is no way Yoongi went dancing. He hates clubs."

_"Fuck yeah! I love clubs!" Yoongi nodded eagerly before remembering to play it cool. "I mean, I was going to design a cathedral tonight, kind of take a whack at the whole relationship between God and man conundrum. But sure, let's go dancing." The omega squealed and clapped. "Just let me go check on my friend." He made his way over to Namjoon. "You up for some super loud repetitive music that hasn't changed since the mid-2000s?"_

_"Only always." Namjoon jumped up from his beanbag. "Let's go."_

"Dancing?" Jimin blinked. "He went dancing with this omega?" He turned to Seokjin, trying not to panic. "Okay, maybe this is a little bad. Dancing is bad. Dancing leads to sex!"

Seokjin tilted his head. "Did you grow up in a Footloose-esque town?"

Jimin sighed. "I'm calling him." He pulled his phone out of his pocket. "I'm telling him that I was wrong and I'm sorry and I totally want to listen to his stupid stories."

"Might want to think of another way to phrase that." Seokjin mumbled as Jimin headed out to the quiet hallway.

"Damn it." Jimin cursed as he pulled his phone away from his ear. "He's not answering. I'm calling Namjoon. He quickly clicked on the other alpha's contact, Namjoon answering within a few seconds. "Namjoon, hey, can I talk to Yoongi?"

" _Yoongi's not here tonight._ " Namjoon informed him. "He's working."

"Oh…okay…" Jimin bit his lip. "Thanks anyway." He slowly lowered his phone and turned to Seokjin. "Namjoon just lied…Yoongi's cheating on me."

Jimin and Seokjin walked straight up to the bouncer. "Hey, I'm looking for two alphas that came in earlier." Jimin said. "Both Korean, one about six feet tall, the other a cheating bastard."

"You're gonna have to refresh my memory."

Seokjin chuckled. "Don't worry, Baby knows how this game's played." Seokjin stepped in front of Jimin and pulled a $20 bill out of his pocket.

"Thanks." The bouncer took the money. "But seriously, it's been a crazy night. I really do need you to refresh my memory."

"Oh, then can I have my…" He trailed off as the bouncer glared at him. "Never mind, you keep it."

Jimin rolled his eyes. "One of the alphas is an architect-"

"Yoongi Min the architect?"

"Yep." Jimin's eye twitched. "That's the one."

The bouncer smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he was here."

_"And then I was like, no, Frank Gehry, you're on your own this time." The omega giggled at Yoongi's story as they left the club. "And that, my dear, was the end of that hack's career."_

_The omega bit his lip, stepping close enough that he was almost pressed against the alpha. "I live right across the street."_

_Yoongi blinked. "That is one hell of a non sequitur."_

_"You wanna come over?" The omega tilted his head, baring his neck in a sign of submission._

_"Eh…I don't know." Yoongi gave a small shrug. "But I do suppose I should at least give you a ride home." He turned around and crouched down, prompting the omega to hop on his back._

_"I'll see you at book club, Rowan!" The omega bid the bouncer goodbye while laughing._

_The bouncer nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll be bringing the crudites."_

_The omega cheered before smacking Yoongi's ass as if he were a horse, the alpha galloping to play along until Namjoon stepped in front of him. "What are you doing?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows. "You proved it, alright? The whole Yoongi Min, architect thing works."_

_"Architects rule!" The omega cheered._

_Namjoon rolled his eyes slightly. "Aren't you a little worried that a certain somebody might find out that you're doing this? This isn't you, Yoongi."_

_"Well, it is tonight." The shorter alpha retorted before neighing like a horse and taking off across the street towards the omega's apartment._

"You know him!" Jimin exclaimed, referring to the omega. "Where does he live?"

Rowan scoffed. "I'm not telling you that for less than $20 bucks."

"I'm out of money!" Seokjin exclaimed.

Jimin nodded in agreement. "And I don't carry cash."

Rowan shrugged. "I'll take your bag." Jimin raised an eyebrow. "My omega's been wanting one just like that."

"Fine." Jimin grumbled, opening his bag to remove his belongings from it.

"You should tell your omega that this would look really good with a Chelsea boot." Seokjin said, mourning Jimin's loss.

Jimin growled quietly. "Bitch is lucky I brought my small one. There wasn't enough room for my gun." He shoved the now empty bag into Rowan's arms. "Now where does the rodeo slut live?"

"Building with the green light, apartment 3C."

The omega's eyes narrowed, and Seokjin grabbed his arm. "Jimin, are you going to kick this omega's ass?"

"Oh yeah." Jimin nodded. "And I’m gonna steal his purse."

"I can't believe he's cheating on me!" Jimin exclaimed as he and Seokjin walked down the hallway towards the omega's apartment. "Do you know how many times _I_ could have cheated? Six!" Jimin then paused. "Actually seven. And you happen to know two of them, and they would definitely surprise you!"

Seokjin gestured that they were at the right apartment. "You ready?" He whispered.

Jimin nodded. "Should I just kick the door in?"

"No, those are really nice shoes, and you've already lost a purse." Seokjin informed him. "Let's just see if it's unlocked." He reached out to twist the knob, finding the door open. "Now get in there and kick some spankable ass!" Jimin was frozen solid, eyes as wide as they could possibly get. "Jimin?"

" _I'm_ the problem!" The omega exclaimed.

"What?"

"You were right!" He turned to Seokjin, shaking his head slightly. "I don’t know how to be a boyfriend. I took the nicest alpha in the world and I made him a cheater."

Seokjin blinked at him. "Well, don't stand out here and beat yourself up! Get in there and beat Yoongi up! I'll handle the slutty kickboxer." He paused. "Actually, _I'll_ take Yoongi."

Jimin took a deep breath. "Let's do this." He slowly opened the apartment door and he and Seokjin quietly entered the apartment door, seeing a foot poking out from under the sheets through the doorway in the studio apartment. Clenching his jaw, Jimin stormed into the room and turned the light on. "What the fuck are you-" He cut himself off as he realized it wasn't Yoongi in the bed, but Hoseok.

"Thank God you're here!" The alpha exclaimed, tugging at the scarf that was keeping his left arm tied to the headboard. "Can you help me with this?"

Seokjin rushed over to untie their friend while Jimin just stared at the alpha in confusion. "Okay, I am completely lost here. Where's Yoongi?"

"Yoongi?" Hoseok furrowed his eyebrows. "He's at work."

Jimin blinked. "How did you get here?"

Hoseok chuckled. "Awesome story, as per usual."

_"I mean, how do you think Mr. Brady even scored a babe like Carol?"_

_"Solid point." Yoongi nodded. "She did have hair of gold." The omega giggled as Yoongi leaned against the bar next to him._

_Hoseok appeared out of nowhere, interrupting their conversation. "Sorry, I forgot my binoculars for Foxy Boxing." He then noticed the omega. "Ooh, looks like things just got a little foxier right here." He winked at the omega._

_"Yes, they did." Yoongi confirmed. "And you're just in time." He straightened up, taking a few steps away from the bar. "I gotta go, but I'm leaving you in very good, if slightly sullied hands."_

_"Don't go!" The omega begged. "We don't even know your name to look out for your buildings."_

_Hoseok nodded. "Yeah, stay!" When the omegas weren't looking, he narrowed his eyes at Yoongi, mouthing for him to go the hell away._

_Yoongi gave his friend a tight smile. "Excuse us for one second." He pulled Hoseok to the side. "Okay, you were right. The architect thing totally works." Hoseok nodded. "But I have a boyfriend, and I've gotta get back to work. This project is just getting harder and harder." He snorted at his own joke, fist bumping Hoseok before leaving the bar for the night._

_Hoseok returned to the omegas. "Sorry, my intern had to leave."_

_"That's too bad." The omega said, holding out his hand for Hoseok to shake. "I'm Ryan, by the way."_

_The alpha briefly glanced over his shoulder to make sure his friend was gone before introducing himself. "Yoongi Min, architect."_

Hoseok buttoned his pants back up as he finished his story. "And that led to a couple of hours that I cannot, as a proper alpha, divulge to you." Jimin and Seokjin shared a look as a giddy smile appeared on the alpha's face. "We did it right here, and here, and here." He pointed to various parts of the apartment while giggling.

"Why would you use Yoongi's name?" Jimin asked as Hoseok buttoned up his shirt.

"I've had some recent bad press on the internet." Hoseok shrugged, fixing his tie. "I'm taking a timeout on the whole 'using my real name' thing."

Jimin rolled his eyes as Seokjin moved to stand in front of him. "This is great! It wasn't Yoongi! Everything's okay!"

"Everything isn't okay." Jimin shook his head. "Look at me! I'm acting crazy and jealous and paranoid!"

Seokjin gave him a soft smile. "This is how people act in relationships."

Jimin nodded. "And that's why I _avoid_ relationships."

The taller omega let out a sigh. "Well, guess what. I haven't been crazy or jealous or paranoid in months, and I really miss it."

"And thus ends this chapter of 'let's pour our hearts out in the bedroom of Hoseok's one night stand'." Hoseok interrupted. "Now let's go before he gets out of the shower."

"You're such an asshole!" Jimin glared at the alpha rushing to put his jacket on. "You're not even going to say goodbye?"

"I'll have you know I composed a lovely form letter for use in just such an occasion." He produced a folded-up piece of paper from inside his jacket. He unfolded the paper and pulled out a pen. "Just gotta fill in his name…" He blinked. "Definitely starts with an R…" He thought about it before shrugging. "I'll just put resident." He quickly scribbled that down on the two blanks as he heard the shower shut off. "Go, go, go!" He whisper yelled, dragging Jimin and Seokjin out of the apartment after dropping the letter on a chair.

**_Jimin took a long walk that night. He thought about how opening yourself up to another person usually means opening yourself up to going a little crazy. He thought about how much easier it was to just be alone. And then he came to see me._ **

Jimin smiled as he entered the floor Yoongi worked on and saw his alpha working hard. "Hi." He greeted, holding up the coffee and donuts he had brought to share with him.

"Hi." Yoongi said, obviously surprised by the visit. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought donuts." Jimin set the box down on the table next to Yoongi's desk. "And I don't want to brag, but they're filled with jelly."

Yoongi laughed a little bit before biting his lip. "So how was your night?"

"…fine." Jimin shrugged. "Nothing exciting. How was yours?"

The alpha looked down at his lap, slowly turning back to his work. "You really wanna hear about boring architect stuff?"

"Yeah…" Jimin nodded as Yoongi looked back up at him. "I do." The omega bit his lip slightly. "I'm sorry about earlier. And to tell you the truth, I never even saw all of National Treasure. I fell asleep halfway through."

Yoongi blinked. "The best part's in the last half!"

"Then maybe they should have moved that part up a little bit earlier because…" He trailed off as he saw Yoongi's offended expression. "Okay, what I'm trying to say is that I love being the person you bitch to." A small smile appeared on Yoongi's face at that. "So how was your day, Mr. Architect?"

"I like the way you say that?" Yoongi said, reaching out to pull Jimin closer to him as the omega giggled. Then an idea hit him. "You wanna see the building that will make every alpha in Spokane feel inadequate?"

"Obviously!" Yoongi stood up and pulled Jimin over to the presentation board. "Wow…" He tilted his head as he examined the building. "You didn't mention all the foliage around the base. If you trim that back, the rest would look bigger."

Yoongi hummed. "You don't have to tell me." Jimin giggled as Yoongi led him back to his desk. "And just for fun, I've sort of been working on my own idea of what I think the building should be." He pulled out his sketch and held it up for Jimin to see, the omega's eyes widening in awe. "What do you think?"

**_You remember that time we went to Spokane and I pointed out that skyscraper? That was the first building I ever designed. And that night was the first time I showed anyone my first drawing of it._ **

"Wow…" Jimin wrapped his arms around Yoongi's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder as he continued to look at the design. "This is amazing, Yoongi."

Yoongi quietly thanked his boyfriend before scoffing, putting the design back on his desk. "It's not like it will ever come to anything.:

Jimin shrugged. "I don't know." He made Yoongi turn towards him, looping his arms around the alpha's neck. "It might come to something." He pressed himself as close to Yoongi as he possibly could. "Did you know that omegas find architects very hot?"

Yoongi chuckled before capturing Jimin's lips with his. "Don’t go expecting 78 stories or anything." He joked, making Jimin laugh as their lips met again, the alpha turning them around and pushing Jimin down onto his desk.

Ryan sat on his bed in his robe after his shower, reading over the letter 'Yoongi Min, architect' had left for him. " _Dear Resident, the time we spent together, however long it was, meant the world to me. I would love to see you again, but unfortunately, I cannot. You see, I am a ghost. I can only materialize once every decade on the anniversary of my death. I chose to spend my one day among the living with you, sweet Resident. Perhaps we will meet again in another decade, provided you keep your figure. Until then, all my love from the beyond…Hoseok._ "

"Who the fuck is Hoseok?"


	5. The Jungs

**_Hoseok was always a bit of an enigma. In all the years we lived in New York, none of us had ever set foot in his apartment. Until one day…one of us did._ **

Hoseok groaned a bit as he stretched in his bed, rolling over onto his right side. He blinked his eyes open with a smile that soon dropped at the sight of the omega in his bed. His screams caused Seokjin to jump awake, the omega also screaming as he realized he was in bed with Hoseok.

**_It's a pretty good story. And believe it or not, alcohol did not play a role. It all started two weeks earlier at Seokjin's housewarming._ **

**2 weeks earlier**

Seokjin gestured for Yoongi and to enter his tiny, dirty, rundown apartment. "Welcome to my new home!"

"Wow, Seokjin this is…" Yoongi trailed off as he looked around the tiny one room home that was probably smaller than his own bedroom. "Oh, this is all of it."

"I know it's small, but it's got character!" Seokjin insisted as he accepted the small gift basket from the alpha. "And I'm learning Lithuanian from my neighbors." He informed his friends as he set the basket down in his grimy bathtub. "They're great! They're always out in the hall cooking and gambling and giving each other haircuts. It's nice!"

Yoongi hummed. "Is that a toilet in your kitchen?"

"Or a stove in your bathroom?" Jimin offered.  
"It's not just a stove." Seokjin insisted. "It's a stovenkerator. A combination of a stove, oven, sink, and refrigerator. Isn't it futuristic?"

"I hope not." Yoongi answered honestly. "But cool Murphy bed."

Seokjin nodded as Yoongi moved to pull it down. "It's kind of a mess, I didn't make my bed this morning." Yoongi blinked as the mattress took up almost the entirety of the apartment, one corner of it unable to lower fully to the floor as the knob on his closet door blocked it.

"Well…" Jimin clicked his tongue. "I bet sleeping at this angle is good for you." He tried to sound optimistic. "…for some reason."

"I got it." Yoongi assured them before shoving at the mattress to try to get it past the doorknob, making a large creaking sound to ring through the apartment.

They were met with angry yells from Seokjin's Lithuanian neighbor. "That was 'something, something, I am going to something you like a something donkey.'" Seokjin informed them, smiling with pride at himself.

"Wow…" Jimin forced a smile on his face. "Other cultures…"

Seokjin continued to beam before turning towards his bath. "Let's break out the fruit basket!" He frowned as he realized some of the berries he had seen before were gone. "Hey, who at the-" He promptly cut himself off and dropped the basket as he heard some squeaking coming from it.

"We have to get Seokjin out of the apartment." Yoongi insisted to Hoseok and Jimin. "His roommate is a raccoon."

Jimin sighed. "I'd offer him my place, but I have dogs and he's allergic."

"Dogs?" Yoongi snorted. "I live with his ex. I think he's a little more allergic to that."

The omega turned to the other alpha. "What about your place, Hoseok?" He suggested. "I know it's shrouded in mystery, but it's gotta at least have a couch."

Hoseok gasped dramatically. "The fortress of Hobitude? No way!"

"He's desperate!"

"Normally a prerequisite for the omegas I bring home," Hoseok confirmed, "but pass."

Namjoon joined them. "One of you is extremely lucky because I have an extra ticket to a Chainsmokers concert."

"EW."

"Absolutely not."

"No."

"Damn it." Namjoon sighed. "I got these tickets months ago for me and Seokjin and now I can't find anyone to go with me." He crossed his arms, slumping down in the booth. "This is what I miss about being in a couple. I always had someone to go to concerts with. Or farmer's markets. Or brunch." Jimin and Yoongi shared a smile as Namjoon sighed again. "God, I miss brunch."

Yoongi shrugged. "You could try going to brunch alone."

Namjoon shot him a look. "You don't think I've tried?"

_"Table for one, please."_

_The host furrowed his eyebrows. "One…couple?"_

_Namjoon shook his head. "No, just me."_

_"Really?" The host tilted his head. "For brunch?"_

_"You're right, who am I kidding?" The alpha rushed out of the Brimstone Blossom restaurant._

Jimin let out a small gasp. "I love that place." He turned to Yoongi, hugging his arm as he gave him a pleading gaze. "Can we go get brunch tomorrow?"

"Of course, sweetie." Jimin preened as Yoongi leaned down to kiss him.

"Can I go with you guys?" Namjoon asked hopefully.

Yoongi sucked air through his teeth. "Really? For brunch?"

Namjoon groaned. "God, I hate being single!"

"Yeah, I'll take over on the Pittsburgh game." Hoseok spoke into his Bluetooth as he entered his apartment. "Oh, and by the way, I never got my payout from Seattle from two weeks ago. Don't make me call the gaming commission on you. I'm sure they'd be very interested to know what's going on over there…alright, yes, I love you too, Mom, take care." He cleared his throat as he ended the call, moving to pour himself a drink. "Hello, Seokjin." He greeted the omega who had been quietly sitting on his couch since he'd arrived home. He took a sip of his scotch as he slowly turned around to face him. "You've somehow managed to circumvent my security. How did you do it?"

"Yoongi gave me your spare key." Seokjin answered honestly, holding said key up.

Hoseok sighed and shook his head. "Brilliant."

"I'm sorry!" Seokjin jumped up from the couch. "But you know I'd only come here if I had no other choice. Earlier today I was getting ready to go to sleep and…"

_As Seokjin pulled his bed down, the metal framing took part of the wall with it, revealing his neighbor sitting on their couch in nothing but their boxers. " **Sveiki**." He greeted him awkwardly in Lithuanian, earning a flat stare in response._

"That's terrible." Hoseok responded to the omega's story. Seokjin nodded with a pout only for the alpha to then shrug. "Oh well. See ya."

Seokjin's eyes widened as he followed Hoseok as he moved around his living room. "Can I stay here?"

Hoseok sucked air through his teeth. "I'd let you, but I don't have any room."

The omega blinked at him. "You live in a two-bedroom apartment. You have one room just for your suits!"

"I am at a point in my life where my suits are my family!" Hoseok defended himself as Seokjin gave him a look of disbelief. "Look around, Seokjin. You are in the heart of bachelor country, and as an omega, you are an illegal immigrant here." Seokjin glared at him. "You could apply for a sex visa, but that only lasts 12 hours. 14 if you qualify for multiple entry."

Seokjin moved to punch him on the arm before remembering he was trying to convince him to let him stay. "And to that I say, give me _multiple_ high fives." He weakly held his hands up.

"Wow," Hoseok laughed, "you really are desperate."

"I really am." Seokjin nodded.

The alpha groaned. "Fine, you can stay for two days." Seokjin thanked him profusely as they both sat on the couch. "I only have one rule. You can't change anything."

"Why would I change anything?" Seokjin feigned innocence. "This place is…absolutely perfect…except that you don't have a TV."

"See that wall?" Seokjin nodded as Hoseok picked up a remote and pressed a button. He was then immediately blinded by the bright light of the huge screen and felt like he could go deaf from how loud the surround sound was. "300-inch flat screen. They only sell them in Japan, but I know a guy. Had to ship it over in a tugboat like fucking King Kong."

"It hurst my eyes…"

"Yeah, that doesn't go away."

"Hey." Yoongi greeted as Namjoon entered the apartment, Jimin looking up from his book to smile at the alpha. "Where have you been?"

"The Chainsmokers concert."

Yoongi raised an eyebrow. "By yourself?"

"No, I went with a friend from law school."

"Oh really?" Jimin's interest was piqued as he sat up, his legs shifting from where they had been resting on Yoongi's lap. "Who is this _friend_?"

Namjoon bit his lip before answering. "Brynn…an alpha."

_"Dude, the Chainsmokers rock!" Brynn exclaimed as she and Namjoon entered Persona._

_"I know!" Namjoon agreed. "I can't believe I almost didn't come tonight!"_

_Brynn sighed. "Let me guess, you bought the tickets for you and Seokjin before he dumped you."_

_Namjoon nodded. "Yeah, how'd you know?"_

_"I just got dumped myself." Brynn admitted._

_"Elliot broke up with you?" Namjoon asked, his eyes widening. "I'm sorry, I know how much that sucks." As he turned to get their beers from Adora, a thought hit Namjoon. "Brynn, do you like brunch?"_

Yoongi and Jimin blinked. "You invited her to brunch?"

"Yeah, I invited her to brunch." Namjoon shrugged as he headed into the kitchen. "Is that weird?"

"Yes." Yoongi answered bluntly. "That's why I used the tone I did."

Namjoon rolled his eyes slightly. "Why can't two alphas who are friends go to brunch?"

Yoongi shrugged a bit. "Because brunch is kind of…"

Jimin looked up to finish Yoongi's sentence. "Omega-like."

Namjoon scoffed. "Breakfast isn't omega-like. Lunch isn't omega-like. What makes brunch omega-like?"

"I don't know." Yoongi shrugged again. "There's nothing omega-like about a horse, nothing omega-like about a horn, but you put them together and you get a unicorn." Jimin nodded in agreement.

"I don't care what either of you say," Namjoon stated. "I am going to the Brimstone Blossom with Brynn. We're here, we're hungry, get used to it, brunch."

Hoseok exited the bedroom, following an enticing scent that was wafting through his apartment. He found the source of it as Seokjin in the middle of his kitchen, smiling widely while holding out a plate full of every traditional breakfast staple. "Smells delicious!" He praised as he took the plate from the omega.

"Thank you." Seokjin beamed wider. "There was no food in the fridge, so I picked up…" He trailed off, his smile dropping as he watched Hoseok dump the food directly into the trash can. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Seokjin," Hoseok shook his head slightly as he turned to face the omega. "What was the first rule again?"

Seokjin blinked. "Don’t change anything?"

"And what was the second rule?"

The omega's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "There was no second rule-"

"Exactly!" Hoseok cut him off. "There was only one rule and you broke it!"

Seokjin sputtered a bit, struggling to form a response due to his current confusion and disbelief. "I bought groceries!" He finally exclaimed. "That counts as changing something?"

Hoseok sighed. "Seokjin, if I wanted a fridge full of groceries, or fresh coffee in the morning," Seokjin's jaw dropped as the alpha poured the entire pot of coffee into the sink, "I would be in a relationship." He set the now empty pot down and turned back to Seokjin. "But I don't want to be in a relationship. That's why I make it crystal clear to every omega that walks through that door that this is not a place to leave a toothbrush. This is not a place to leave a contact lens case. This is a place to leave." Seokjin scoffed quietly as Hoseok gestured for him to follow. "I'll give you a tour. No flash photography please." The first stop on the 'tour' was the alpha's bedroom. "Check this out. King sized bed, full sized blanket, one pillow. Everything about this bed says, 'our work here is done'.

He then led Seokjin into the bathroom. "Only one towel, no hair dryer. You know where I keep all that stuff? Your place, meaning it's time for you to leave."

Seokjin rolled his eyes as Hoseok led him back out to the hallway. "You see, while alphas like Yoongi and Namjoon may hide their porn-"

"Namjoon doesn't have porn." Seokjin immediately rejected the idea, chuckling a bit.

"Aww, so cute." Hoseok cooed patronizingly, earning a small glare from the omega as he continued. "While alphas like Yoongi and Namjoon may hide their porn, I have mine professionally lit." He gestured to the two bookshelves that held hundreds of porn films, stage lights in the ceiling pointing directly at them. "Omegas see this, and they can't get out of here fast enough."

Seokjin snorted. "And if that doesn't drive them away, there's always your life-sized storm trooper in the living room."

"No." Hoseok shook his head. "That's just awesome." The omega rolled his eyes again. "So, you see, whenever an omega wakes up here, I never have to tell them to go build their nest somewhere else. My apartment does it for me."

"God, I love brunch." Namjoon exclaimed.

"Holy shit." Brynn nearly moaned. "This zucchini bread is amazing!"

Namjoon nodded in agreement before suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious, Yoongi and Jimin's comments making an appearance in his mind. "This isn't weird, right?"

Brynn shrugged. "I originally thought it might be, but it totally isn't. By the way, the eggs benedict, even better than you said."

"Right?" Namjoon nodded.

"I mean," Brynn returned to Namjoon's original question, "why can't two single alphas go out and enjoy Sunday brunch?"

"Exactly!" Namjoon agreed. "Thank you, that's exactly what I've been saying."

Brynn smiled at Namjoon. "This must be destiny." The male alpha tilted his head in curiosity. "I have two tickets for Mamma Mia Friday night. You like ABBA, right?" She scoffed before Namjoon could answer. "What am I even saying? Who doesn't like ABBA?" Namjoon shrugged as if to agree. "Anyway, I was gonna take Elliot, but now it's all you and me. What do you say?" Namjoon nodded in agreement, but on the inside, he wasn't so sure.

Hoseok blinked open his eyes and jumped as he realized his latest conquest was staring at him. "Hey, did the cold wake you?" He asked, pretending to care as he snuggled further under his blanket.

She shook her head. "No, I've just been watching you sleep.

The alpha shifted away slightly, trying not to show his discomfort at the confession. "Did you try and take a shower? Sorry, I only have one clean towel-"

"I don't buy into the myth that we need to shower every day."

Hoseok blinked. "Okay…I'd offer you some coffee, but I don't have any, so you're gonna have to-"

"I'm boycotting coffee." She informed him. "You might as well be drinking the tears of a Colombian peasant farmer." She then sighed as she looked around his room. "God, I love this place. Good thing I don't have a job." She turned back to Hoseok, who was on the verge of a breakdown as he had never experienced this situation before, and wrapped her arms around him. "Because now I can stay here all day."

Hoseok threw himself out of the bed and into the hallway, the omega following him. "I think I left something out here-oh no!" He feigned embarrassment and shame while not so subtly shoving his porn collection in the omega's face. "Oh, I am so disgusting!"

The omega put her hand to her chest. "You're so open about your sexuality, and that's one of the reasons I love you." Hoseok stared at her wide eyed. "Oops, did I just say that out loud?" She shrugged. "Oh well, cat's out of the bag. I love you."

The alpha flinched away from her as she leaned in to kiss him. "Okay, uh, you see…" He laughed nervously as he backed away, out into the main area of his apartment.

The front door then opened, Seokjin walking inside. "Hey, Hoseok." He looked up and saw Hoseok with an omega, who looked less than happy about Seokjin's presence. "Oh."

"Are you mated?!" The omega screeched. "Is this your mate?!"

"What? No!" Hoseok immediately rejected before realizing this could work in his favor. "Well, not yet." Seokjin stared at him in confusion as he feigned guilt.

"You bastard!" The omega scoffed. "I can't believe I let you enter my sacred temple!" She stormed out of the apartment as Hoseok monotonously spewed out standard apologies.

Once the door had slammed shut, Hoseok smiled evilly at Seokjin. "You are not going anywhere." Seokjin gave him a flat look as Hoseok sighed in relief. "That was so close. That hippie omega was ready to squat here. She was freakishly immune to everything in my apartment…" He smiled at the omega again. "Except you. You're better than porn!"

Seokjin blinked. "Thank you?"

"How would you like to extend your stay here?" Seokjin's eyes widened. "All you'd have to do is pretend to be my mate, or at least my boyfriend or fiancé, and scare of the occasional one-night stand. I know you've got your ethics, your principles-"

"I'll do it!"

Hoseok blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Seokjin sighed quietly. "Hoseok, you obviously have some serious mother issues that have left you the emotional equivalent of a scavenging sewer rat." Hoseok furrowed his eyebrows. "But in my other apartment, I would be living with an actual scavenging sewer rat, so you win."

"I'll take it." The alpha shrugged.

Yoongi and Jimin stared at Namjoon in disbelief. "Mamma Mia?"

"It's a great musical!" Namjoon exclaimed in defense. "Do you know how many Tonys it's won?"

"No." Yoongi stated bluntly. "But, you know, it sounds like a really fun, exciting third date."

"Ooh, third date." Jimin wiggled his eyebrows at an unamused Namjoon. "You know what that means."

Namjoon gave them bot a flat look. "It's not a date. It's just two alphas taking in a Broadway show."

Yoongi clicked his tongue. "You getting dinner first?"

The alpha paused. "We might grab a steak."

"Where?"

Namjoon hesitated again before mumbling, "Le Café de l'Amour." The other two burst into laughter. "Brynn says the food is really good there!"

Jimin snorted before taking on a serious expression. "Sounds like Brynn's got quite the night planned out. You better bring you’re A game. That means no granny panties."

"You two are just threatened because I'm a single alpha moving in on your couples' turf." Namjoon retorted. "It's my territory now. I'm peeing all over brunches, fancy dinners, and musicals. Brynn and I are taking back Broadway."

Yoongi hummed and nodded. "What are you going to wear?"

"I was thinking this collared shirt and these-" He cut himself off when the couple started laughing again. "Shut up!"

Hoseok sat at an immaculate breakfast spread with his latest one-night stand, flipping through the newspaper. He checked his watch before dramatically clearing his throat, the signal he and Seokjin had agreed upon. Within seconds, the omega was bursting into the apartment. "Honey, I'm home!" Seokjin then gasped dramatically at the sight before him. "Hoseok, what the hell is going on here?!"

The alpha jumped up from his chair. "Seokjin, I can explain-"

"How could you?!" Seokjin sobbed. "In our own home?!" He slapped the alpha across the face. "You bastard!"

The other omega jumped up from his seat, apologizing profusely. "I had no idea-"

"Just get out!" The omega rushed towards the door. "This is what I get for working as a stripper for four years to put you through medical school?!" Seokjin yelled at Hoseok as the omega gathered her things and left. "I got a butt lift for you!" The door slammed shut behind Hoseok's one night stand and Seokjin shut off his character, moving to enjoy the breakfast still laid out.

"Bravo." Hoseok applauded him. "That was incredible! And that slap was genius! You did not hold back!"

Seokjin shrugged. "I've always wanted to do that."

Hoseok fell silent for a second. "Fair enough." He sighed as he picked up his coffee mug. "I do have to say, it's kind of nice having food around here for a change." Seokjin perked up as if about to suggest something, but quickly shook his head as if talking himself out of it. "What? You're my mate, you can tell me anything."

"Well…I was just thinking…" Seokjin shrugged a bit. "If you really want to sell this ruse, we should try to make this place a little more…homey. Like an omega would actually live here."

Hoseok hummed, leaning back in his chair. "What did you have in mind?" Seokjin simply responded with a small smirk.

By the end of the day, Hoseok's apartment had been transformed from a bachelor pad to a mated couple's home, complete with plants, knick-knacks, nesting materials, and the replacement of Hoseok's porn collection with various books.

Yoongi greeted Namjoon as he entered the apartment. "Didn't think we'd be seeing you until tomorrow morning." He teased as he sat down on the couch with Jimin, pulling the omegas legs over his lap and settling the bowl of popcorn he'd brought in between them.

"Ha ha." Namjoon rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a date." He stiffly sat down in the chair, nervously wringing his hands together. "Okay, it was a date, and it got weird."

_"You really don't have to do that." Namjoon said as Brynn handed her card to their waiter to pay for their meals._

_"No, I insist." The female alpha replied. "You're my guest." Namjoon thanked him before turning back to his dessert. "You got some chocolate on your chin." Brynn informed him. Namjoon thanked him again before wiping at the area with his napkin. "It's still there. I'll get it." Namjoon then watched in horror as Brynn licked her own napkin before reaching over to wipe at Namjoon's chin._

Yoongi and Jimin were both holding back laughter at Namjoon's story. "It could have been worse." The omega informed him. "It could have fallen in your lap."

Namjoon wasn't able to share in their amusement. "It gets worse."

_"I can do it, Brynn." Namjoon insisted as the female alpha helped him put his jacket on._

_"So, anyway," Brynn ignored him, "It's this Saturday. Do you want to come?"_

_Namjoon blinked at her. "You want me to go to a mating ceremony with you?"_

Jimin was barely holding back laughter as Yoongi nodded. "That's not too bad." He tried to be helpful. "Two single alphas on the prowl. It'll be like Wedding Crashers."

"Just keep Brynn away from the bouquet." Jimin offered, snickering a bit.

Namjoon, once again, wasn't able to laugh. "It. Gets. Worse."

_"It gets better!" Brynn exclaimed as she smoothed out some wrinkles in Namjoon's shirt to his discomfort. "The foliage in Vermont this time of year is amazing!"_

_"V-vermont?"_

_Brynn nodded happily. "The wedding is at this gorgeous B &B." Her smile faltered. "Elliot and I used to go there." She shook her head slightly, ignoring the slight horror on Namjoon's face. "Anyway, there's one room left, and we got it. The Walt Whitman Suite."_

"You said no, right?" Yoongi inquired.

"Of course."

_"I understand." Brynn nodded solemnly. "It's cool. It's just…this was the first time I was going to see my college friends since Elliot left me. I just…" She burst into tears. "I just miss him so much."_

_Namjoon looked around awkwardly before sighing. "I'll go to Vermont with you."_

_Brynn looked up at him with wide eyes before pulling him into a hug. "Thank you! They're registered at Pottery Barn, maybe we can go halfsies on a gravy boat."_

Now the couple didn't bother holding back their laughter until Namjoon glared at them. "I'm sorry." Yoongi apologized, trying to compose himself. "It's not funny."

Namjoon groaned, hitting his hands on the arms of the chair. "Damn you, brunch!" Jimin burst into laughter again, falling onto Yoongi. "She's insane, right?"

"I don't think he's crazy." Yoongi answered honestly, still laughing a bit as he stood up from the couch. "I think she's suffering from a serious case of boyfriend withdrawal. And unfortunately, you're her nicotine patch."

Jimin nodded in agreement as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. "And now you have to do what every dysfunctional couple has to do: break up."

"You're right." Namjoon nodded. "I promised Brynn I would go to the ceremony with her and then that is it."

Seokjin sighed in content as he smoothed out the brand-new comforter on Hoseok's bed. "I think we made the right decision going for the custom-made Italian sheets."

"If my bed's gonna suit up, it's gonna do it right." Hoseok stated before gesturing to the bed. "Wanna give it a whirl?" The omega wasted no time in jumping onto the bed, relaxing into the pillows with a soft moan. Hoseok chuckled at him before moving to leave the room. "I'm gonna go hit the bars. What are you going to do tonight?"

"I was just gonna watch Fallon, but god this bed is so comfortable." Seokjin spread his arms out, feeling every fiber of the comforter beneath him. "I wish you had a TV in here." Hoseok smirked before picking up a remote and pressing a button, once again making Seokjin flinch at the brightness and volume from what he had thought was just a wall. "Seriously, what do you do for a living?"

Hoseok chuckled. "Please." He then sighed, joining Seokjin on the bed.

"I thought you were going out?"

The alpha shrugged. "After the monologue."

**_The next morning, as the sun rose over Manhattan, Namjoon headed over to Brynn's apartment to leave for the wedding in Vermont. But when he got there…_ **

Namjoon stopped short at the sight of Brynn checking her watch with a bouquet of flowers in hand. "No, no, no!" He hurriedly pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his best friend. "Yoongi, Brynn got me flowers."

"Hold on." Yoongi sidled up behind Jimin, who was chopping vegetables for their lunch. "Brynn got him flowers." He whispered in the omega's ear, the both of them falling into laughter. "I'm sorry." The alpha quickly apologized to his best friend. "It just got funny again."

Namjoon ended the call without another word, slowly approaching the female alpha. She immediately smiled upon seeing Namjoon, but he held his hand up to stop her. "No, Brynn, I don't want to hear it." He sighed. "I do like you, and calla lilies are my favorite flower, I don't know how you knew that, I guess you just get me, but this is not cool. I can't believe that you would-"

He was cut off by a familiar omega walking up and wrapping his arms around Brynn's arm. "Hey, sweetie." He then gushed over the flowers, giving his alpha a thank you kiss before turning to the male alpha. "Hi, Namjoon!"

"…hi, Elliot." He cleared his throat. "So, you guys are back together now?"

"Yeah." Brynn smiled. "Happened last night." Namjoon stared at him in disbelief. "Sorry, I should have called you."

Namjoon nodded. "Yeah, you should have."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Don't, Brynn." Namjoon cut her off. "Just don't." He shook his head as he turned around and walked off.

Elliot stared at his alpha in confusion. "What's with him?"

Brynn shrugged. "I don't know. I think he's in love with me."

Hoseok groaned a bit as he stretched in his bed, rolling over onto his right side. He blinked his eyes open with a smile that soon dropped at the sight of the omega in his bed. His screams caused Seokjin to jump awake, the omega also screaming as he realized he was in bed with Hoseok. "I can't believe we just…" They both scrambled to the opposite sides of the bed, trying to stay as far away from each other as possible. "You and I…what have we done?" Hoseok asked in horror.

Seokjin checked under the covers, sighing in relief as he saw that he was still fully clothed. "Nothing." He assured the panicking alpha. "Nothing happened, we just went to sleep."

Hoseok gasped in horror. "Just went to sleep? I don't sleep in the same bed as an omega and not make a move! How could…" He looked around the room before narrowing his eyes at Seokjin. "You. You spooned me against my will!"

"It takes two to cuddle!" Seokjin retorted.

The alpha jumped out of the bed. "We redecorated my place! We stayed in on a Friday night to watch Fallon and then slept together and didn't have sex!" He stumbled back, clutching his chest as Seokjin climbed out of bed. "Oh my god, we're in a relationship!"

The omega scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's what you think a relationship is?"

"You were supposed to be the vaccine!" Hoseok continued. "But you gave me the disease! You have to go!"

"Hoseok-" The alpha whimpered and flinched back as Seokjin took a step towards him. "I don't think you're mad at me. You're mad at yourself." Hoseok furrowed his eyebrows. "You let down your guard and let someone into your life and it actually felt okay." He offered the alpha a small smile. "And that terrifies you."

"Uh huh…" Hoseok pointed towards the door. "You have to go!"

Seokjin glared at him. "You can't just kick me out! I put a lot of work into this place and I've grown accustomed to a certain standard of living!"

"A certain standard of living?" Hoseok repeated as the two began to yell over each other.

**_And so the Jungs, after two weeks of being mated, decided to call it quits. Fortunately, they reached a settlement. And that's the story of how Seokjin furnished his apartment._ **

**_Namjoon ran into Brynn again sometime later._ **

Namjoon and Yoongi were laughing as they walked down the street until Namjoon suddenly stopped. "Oh my god, it's Brynn. Laugh like I said something really funny."

Being a good friend, Yoongi did as Namjoon requested, laughing brightly as Brynn came to a stop in front of them. "Hey, Namjoon." Brynn smiled at him.

"Hey, how's it going?" Namjoon asked casually.

"It's good." Brynn nodded before turning to Yoongi. "Hi, I'm-"

Yoongi cut her off. "Yeah, I know who you are."

"Okay." Brynn smiled at Namjoon again. "Well, I gotta go to this thing."

"Me too." Namjoon stated. "But my thing is more important."

Brynn hummed quietly. "I guess I'll see you around?"

"Sure." Namjoon shrugged as the female alpha walked off. The taller of the two male alphas then sighed. "Even if you don't believe it, tell me she looks fat."

"Totally looks fat."

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter @ot7mikrokosm! <3


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